


Saving Grace

by buzzbuzz34



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2018-05-11 00:03:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 32
Words: 38,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5606038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buzzbuzz34/pseuds/buzzbuzz34
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After sacrificing her best friend, Chloe Price, in order to save the town of Arcadia Bay, Max Caulfield struggles to move on and accept the reality she now inhabits.  Kate Marsh steps in to help her friend cope with the loss and eventually finds out that there is more to Max than she thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Day After

Max splashed water on her face and examined her appearance in the mirror. Her eyes were still red and puffy, given that she’d been crying heavily since the day of the tornado. Fatigue was obvious on her face. How many different timelines had she jumped through in the past week? All to end up back at Blackwell like none of it ever happened.

But it wasn’t the same now. Now Jefferson and Nathan were behind bars, and Chloe was dead. It still didn’t seem real. She’d been to the funeral, she’d met with Joyce and David several times, but yet Max still thought it was only a matter of time before this rewind would end and she’d be back at Chloe’s side. 

She gripped the edges of the sink. Chloe wasn’t just dead; Max might as well have pulled the trigger herself. She didn’t regret making the choice to save Arcadia Bay, she just regretted not finding a way to save Chloe as well.

If fate and destiny declared Chloe had to die then they could go fuck themselves.

Not that it mattered. Max had obliged them, letting her best friend get shot and bleed out on the floor of a bathroom. 

Before more tears could come, the door to the bathroom opened and Kate entered. She was still in her pajamas and was carrying her shower caddy. 

“Good morning, Max,” she said with a comforting smile. 

“Hi, Kate,” Max replied, moving to dry her hands.

“You know, I was thinking: we haven’t had one of our tea sessions for a while. You should stop by my room this afternoon and we can make some. It might do both of us good.”

Max sighed. “I… I don’t know, Kate. I don’t really feel up to it. I appreciate the offer though.” She was grateful to have a friend like Kate who clearly knew how distraught Max was but didn’t make a big deal out of it. And sitting and having tea sounded nice, but… not something Max could do right then.

“Oh, come on. A good cup of tea will always help. My father sent me a new variety pack of tea bags. I need someone to try them out with me.”

Max smiled and nodded weakly. “Alright, Kate. A tea session sounds good.”

“That’s more like it,” Kate said as she stepped toward a shower stall. “Why don’t you come by my room about two or so?”

“I’ll be there.”

Kate closed the curtain and soon turned on the water to take a shower. Max glanced once more at her haggard appearance and made her way back through the dorm to her room.

The whiteboards outside each room bore some message of sympathy for the loss of life that had occurred in Blackwell’s halls. Even Victoria’s said something almost sincere. Max had been surprised to see her at Chloe’s funeral, and even more surprised to actually see her crying.

Despite the writings, that students’ spirits hardly seemed dimmed. Saturday morning after Chloe’s funeral and people were running around the halls, slamming doors and laughing like it was any other day. Like nothing had happened. Like Max hadn’t just sentenced her best friend to death. 

Alyssa stood in the hallway, reading one of the bulletin boards, when a roll of toilet paper flew through the air and smacked her in the back of her head. Max sighed. With no rewind power, Max couldn’t save Alyssa from the assault. 

“You okay, Alyssa?” Max asked.

She felt the back of her head and sighed. “Yeah, I’ll be alright. People here are assholes.”

“You can say that again.”

“You doing okay?” She asked, noticing Max’s red eyes.

“No,” Max answered honestly.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Well, you let me know. Warren was talking about setting up a movie night sometime this week. You should definitely come with us. Bad, old movies and lots of popcorn.”

Trying not to be too much of a downer, Max replied, “Only if there’s extra butter on the popcorn.”

“Be sure of it, Max! If there isn’t extra butter you might as well just eat the kernels.”

“Ew.”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Alyssa examined the hallway for any other attackers. “Well, I’ll let you get back to it. You know where to find me if you need anything.”

“Thanks.”

Max carried on and entered her room. Her bed was covered in clothing, and papers cluttered up most of the empty space. She knew she should get organized, but laundry seemed so unimportant and mundane after everything that had happened. And there was something she wanted to do before she forgot.

The entries in Max’s diary had changed to reflect the new reality where Chloe was dead and Max had never manifested her rewind powers. While Max herself might remember everything that had happened when she was Super Max with actual superpowers, with time the details would disappear and she didn’t want that to happen. So many bad things had happened, but they were also the only memories of Chloe she had since they were thirteen. Sure, both Chloe and Max had changed a lot over the years, but Max didn’t want to forget who they’d been together as adults, taking over Arcadia Bay like they’d always dreamed they would. 

So Max chronicled their story. From where it all started in the bathroom and throughout the week, through every alternate timeline, detailing every shitty pun and “Max” nickname, to the point at the lighthouse as they watched the tornado approach. It wasn’t easy, to remember the time Max had spent with Chloe during that week, when they thought they were indestructible and would never be apart. But it needed to be done. Max swore she would never forget Chloe, and she would stick by that promise to the end. Everything would be remembered, down to the way they smelled of chlorine the morning after breaking into the Blackwell pool or the way Chloe’s bracelets rattled against the steering wheel of her old, beat up truck. 

Reality didn’t seem real to Max, after everything she’d been through. But writing it all down helped her rationalize it and accept that that week with Chloe was gone. Only she remembered it. Only she knew that it ever happened.

Max looked up at her clock and noticed the time: 2:13. Late for tea time with Kate. She’d been so dedicated to her sketch of a butterfly she hadn’t even noticed the time going by or that she hadn’t eaten lunch.

She put down her notebook and straightened out her shirt, fixing her hair so that she didn’t look like quite so much of a mess. Then she stepped across the hall and knocked on Kate’s door.

“Come in!”

Max stepped into the room and looked around. It was still dark, like it was in the timeline where nobody believed that Kate had been abducted and drugged by Nathan. While the mirror was still covered, the angry letters from disappointed family were nowhere to be seen and the curtain was cracked slightly open. 

“Sorry I’m late,” Max said.

Kate spun around to face her. “No problem. Now, what tea would you like? My new variety pack has a bunch of flavors, let me see…” She picked up the package and read off the label. “Licorice, Orange Ginger, Cinnamon Apple, Cinnamon Vanilla, regular Cinnamon, Mango Passionfruit, Acai Berry, and Wild Raspberry.”

“Uh, how about Wild Raspberry?”

“Alright,” she said as she started heating water in her portable kettle. “I’m going to try the Cinnamon Vanilla.”

“Yeah, that sounds interesting. You don’t really think of those flavors going together.” Max continued to examine the room. “How is Alice doing?” She asked as she stepped over to Kate’s rabbit and stuck her finger through the bars of the cage.

“She’s doing well. I think she’s finally getting used to being here. She’s taken good care of me.” She paused. “It sounds silly to talk about a pet this way, but I’m really grateful she’s here to look after me.”

She handed Max a cup of steeping tea. “No, I understand that,” Max replied. “Pets are really important. Too many people overlook that. They’re friends too. Family.”

“I’m glad you understand that.” Kate looked down at her mug, watching the colors of the tea swirl into the clear water. “You’ve been there for me too. And I don’t think I ever fully thanked you for that.”

“Kate, you don’t need to thank me. You’re my friend, and I’ve got your back.”

“You always believed me, even when no one else did. Now they know that I was telling the truth about what happened to me, but you stuck up for me even before there was proof.” Her voice was faint and cracked as she spoke.

“It was the right thing to do,” Max insisted. “Even if you were remembering things wrong, the way Victoria and all the others treated you was cruel. And like I said, you’re my friend. That’s what friends are for.”

Kate nodded. “It is. And that’s why I want you to know that if you need anything, I’m here for you. Whatever you need.”

“Kate…”

“No, don’t,” she cut Max off before she could interrupt. “I know Chloe’s death has hit you particularly hard. You two grew up together.”

“We only reconnected a week before she was killed.”

“Which only makes the loss you feel now even more painful. I can’t imagine what you’re going through. But you’re not alone, even if it feels that way.” 

Max couldn’t stop the tears now as they started to pour down her face. She set down her mug so they wouldn’t mix with her tea. 

As she shut her eyes to block out the truth, arms wrapped around her. Kate pulled Max in close and held her tight.

“I think we could both use a hug,” she whispered.

Max let out a sob. “I let her die.”

Kate let go slightly so that she could look into Max’s eyes as she spoke.

“You did not. I know you were in the bathroom when… when it happened, but it’s not your fault.”

Max shook her head. “I killed her.”

“No, Nathan killed her. Nathan pulled the trigger. And I don’t think anyone can blame you for not stepping into a confrontation when somebody pulls out a gun, especially when that someone is as evil as Nathan Prescott.”

There was no way Max could explain the truth to Kate. No way that she could make Kate understand the choice, the sacrifice that Chloe had made. It was one thing to believe someone when they said they were drugged and assaulted by a fellow student, it was another to believe in magical time rewind powers. No one would believe Max. There were times she didn’t even believe it herself.

Max turned to grab a tissue and blow her nose. 

“Sorry, that’s pretty gross,” she said as she tossed the tissue in the garbage and grabbed another to wipe her tears.

“Don’t worry about it,” Kate replied. “I’ve had my fair share of nasty cries, believe me.”

As Max turned to throw away another tissue, she noticed a stack of papers on the chair, full of colorful drawings. 

“You drew these?” Max asked, wishing they could move past her depressing outburst.

Kate nodded, answering and appeasing Max’s wish. “Yeah, I’ve been working on them. I came up with a great idea for a children’s book about bullying.”

“I love your artwork. It is so great for children’s stories.”

“Thanks.”

Max paused for a moment. She couldn’t help but remember the dark drawings Kate had made before or the doodles of nooses that lined her notes. 

“I’m glad you’re here, Kate,” Max remarked as she watched Kate jump off the roof in her mind’s eye. “I’m glad you’re here.” 

Down she flew through the air. 

Hard she smashed against the pavement. 

Max, alone atop the roof. 

Another soul she was unable to save. 

Another friend she killed.


	2. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max suffers from severe nightmares as she falls asleep at her desk, and she can no longer keep straight what timeline she's living in. As she finds herself back in the Dark Room, she believes that Kate has killed herself again.

As emotionally fucked up as Max was, it was so nice to just sit around and drink tea with Kate. They talked about classes and pets and clothing and all of the things girls their age were supposed to talk about. For a couple hours, Max was able to shift her focus from the horrors she’d been exposed to and the hell she’d lived.

Around five o’clock, Max decided to take her leave, tired from the activity. Sipping tea with one friend may not have seemed like a lot, but given what she’d been through it was incredibly draining.

Max ate dinner in her room, as she had the last few nights, unable to face the cafeteria and the faces of all the other students. Her phone buzzed against the table. Another text from Mom, checking to see if she wanted to come home and go to a school nearby. Going back to her parents and mourning Chloe with them just didn’t seem right. They didn’t know the new Chloe, only the little girl she once was, and it just felt awkward, like they’d be missing a puzzle piece.

And Max couldn’t leave now. Arcadia Bay had this weird hold on her; she’d saved it from destruction, so abandoning it now would be a waste. If she’d never come to Blackwell, everything would be different. The ‘what ifs’ were as bad as anything, and now Max had no rewind power to test them all out. Which, she admitted to herself, was probably safest for everyone.

She started to work on her journal again, detailing her adventures with Chloe and her wanderings through time. But soon she fell asleep at her desk, her face smearing the ink. The activity of multiple timelines had been wearing her down and fatigue finally won out.

A camera flash. Tightness around her wrists. A voice. Fog across her vision.

Not there. Not the Dark Room. Not Jefferson.

“Oh, Max,” Jefferson condescended. “You used to be so pure. So innocent. Now look at the blood on your hands. Your precious Chloe, dead. Was it worth it?”

“Stop…”

“You might have changed the present, but everything you experienced still happened. You know it. It was real for you.”

Another camera flash.

He continued, “What about the people you let die? Victoria? Nathan? The fisherman you electrocuted? What about Kate? Oh, Kate, she was so pure. I could frame her so well, every picture was a masterpiece. But no. You had to push her off a roof.”

“Stop, please, stop…” Max cried, sobbing.

“But I suppose it’s alright now. Kill one bitch and bring the rest back. Doesn’t mean you didn’t kill them the first time around, though.” Jefferson stood and retreated to his desk where Max watched him fill a syringe.

“You’re not good enough for me anymore, Max. And you know too much. So much that you force yourself to relive your worst moments every time you sleep. Your innocence is gone, long gone. So fucking scared it ran away from all the shit you got involved in. And that means I have to kill you.”

“No, no, no!” Max writhed against her restraints as Jefferson stepped closer with the needle. Just as it was about to puncture her skin, the room changed.

Now Max sat in the girl’s bathroom, curled up on the floor, crying, as Chloe and Nathan struggled against the door. She heard the gun go off and the thump as Chloe’s body hit the floor. Red ran across the moist floor as Nathan paced. Max did nothing but cry.

Then the scene changed again. Max stood on the top of the girls dorm, the rain pelting her face. Kate stood away from her as she stepped toward the edge of the roof. Max spoke but the words were incomprehensible. With a sob and a shake of her head, Kate took one step off the edge and fell through the air.

“Kate!”

Max sat bolt upright at her desk, sweat pouring down her forehead. It felt so real, it felt like she was there. Chloe was dead, she knew that. But Kate… was Kate dead too? Had Kate killed herself? Again, in this timeline? Max couldn’t keep the realities straight anymore.

There was one way to find out.

Pushing back from the desk, Max charged out of her room and across the hall. It was almost midnight, and some lights were still visible around doors but most people were starting to go to sleep. There was no memorial outside of Kate’s room, but that didn’t mean anything. That didn’t go up until the morning after she… she… she killed herself, so it might not be there yet.

Max pounded rapidly on Kate’s door.

“Please, Kate, please… Please tell me you’re there…”

The door opened quickly.

“Max! What is going on?”

“Kate!” Max threw herself forward, pulling Kate into a tight embrace. “Oh God, you’re here, you’re alive.”

Kate awkwardly reciprocated the hug, puzzled. Once Max let go, she shut the door so that they wouldn’t wake up the people already sleeping.

“Yes, I’m here, I’m alive,” she replied, her eyebrows creased in confusion.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Max panted as she paced across the room. “I’m sorry I woke you up. I fell asleep at my desk and I… I just… I had a dream.”

“Well, whatever it was, it’s not real. You’re okay, Max.” Her voice was soft and sympathetic. She knew the damage dreams could cause, the pain trapped inside your own mind that twisted and tortured you as much as the original trauma did.

“No… you’re right. It’s not real. Not now.” She sighed. “I watched you jump off the roof of the dorm.”

“What!?” Kate cried.

“You… you stepped right off. I tried to stop you but I said the wrong things and they didn’t help.”

Kate grabbed Max by the shoulders and looked in her eyes. “Max. I’m not jumping off the roof. You know I’ve been having a really hard time this last month, so I won’t deny that I haven’t… considered it… or something like it… but I’m not going to. Suicide is a sin, I’m not… I wouldn’t…”

She faltered, as if something stopped her from insisting so strongly. Max knew she would take that step if situations occurred in the right way. And it felt like that knowledge from another timeline stopped this Kate from being so sure in her own statement.

“It was just a dream,” Kate wound up claiming adamantly. “I’m right here. And you’re safe. It was just a nightmare.”

“Right.” Max breathed. Just a nightmare from another time.

She took a step back from Kate. “I should probably let you get back to sleep," she remarked, noticing that Kate was in her pajamas and the covers of her bed had been thrown off in haste. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“Do you want to stay here in my room for the night?” Kate offered.

Max was surprised. “What?”

“In case you have another nightmare. That way you don’t have to wake up the entire floor to make sure I’m still alive. You can just roll over and see I’m here. I mean, the beds aren’t that big, but I think we can fit.”

For a moment, Max hesitated. She didn’t want to impose, and she already felt guilty enough for waking Kate up, let alone sharing her bed. But to sleep beside her sounded safe.

“I think I would like that,” Max stuttered. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Kate crawled in so that she was right up against the wall. “I have to warn you though: I can be a bit of a blanket hog.”

“I think I’ll manage,” Max chuckled. “Let me go put my pajamas on, and I’ll be right back.”

Max retreated back into her room and got changed, then stepped back across the hall into Kate’s room.

She was almost asleep again, but looked over groggily as Max climbed into bed.

“Goodnight, Max,” Kate yawned.

“Thanks for this, Kate. Goodnight.”

Only a few seconds later and Kate was already snoring softly.

Terrified that sleep would take her back to the Dark Room, Max glanced around the room, listening to Alice scurry around her cage.

Kate rolled over in her sleep, pressing up against Max. She couldn’t help but smile.

_Safe_ , Max thought to herself. _You’re safe here_.

A friend beside her, Max finally willed herself to sleep. She didn’t dream. No nightmares, no horrors, no Dark Room.

 

No Chloe.


	3. Waterfalls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max does her best to carry on, doing her homework, spending time with friends, and even attempting to flirt. But still she finds herself crippled by guilt as she thinks of how much Joyce has lost.

Max awoke to the shifting of the mattress and a pressure against her side.  She awoke just in time to find Kate straddling over her.

“Max!”  She cried.  “This must seem really awkward.”

Max chuckled.  “I can think of worse ways to wake up in the morning than having a pretty girl leaning over me.” 

What was she doing?  She barges into Kate’s room with a nightmare, sleeps in the same bed because Kate was being kind, and now Max is flirting with her?  Talk about overstepping her hospitality.  Especially just a few days after Chloe died.

Kate’s face flushed red.  “I… uh… I… was just trying to get out of bed.  I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s okay,” Max reassured her.  “Sorry for making it weird.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Kate giggled, looking away from Max as if to hide her blush.  “I should probably get off of you now.”

“If you want.”

Both girls giggled again, then Kate climbed over Max and out of bed.  Max craned her neck to look at Kate’s alarm clock.

“What are you doing up so early?”  She asked.  It was quarter after six in the morning.

“I’m going to church.”

“Oh, right, my bad.  I forgot.”

“That’s alright.”  Kate grabbed clothes and her shower caddy out of the closet.  “You’re welcome to come with me, of course.  I didn’t mean to be rude, but I didn’t figure you’d want to.”

“No, I think I’ll stay here.  Thank you, though,” Max replied.

“No problem.  Even I haven’t wanted to go the last few weeks, with everything going on, and I know that you aren’t particularly religious.  And I figured you could use the sleep.  Waking you up wasn’t part of the plan.”

“Thanks,” Max mumbled.  Kate’s worry humbled her.

“Go back to sleep,” Kate stressed.  “When you get up and leave just lock the door behind you.”

“Thanks, Kate.  And thank you, again, for letting me stay here.”

“You’re welcome, Max.  You can sleep here any time you need.  Especially during the winter,” she laughed.  “You’re really warm.”

“I’m a portable heater,” Max joked.

“That you are.”  Kate smiled.  “I’ll see you later, alright?”

“Sounds good.”

Kate left the room, and Max rolled back over, stuffing her face into Kate’s pillow.  Why did she have to make things weird?  Maybe Max would’ve been better off with super flirting powers instead of time travel.

She managed to go back to sleep pretty quickly, and didn’t hear Kate come back into the room to drop off her pajamas and grab her purse before leaving again.  Max didn’t realize how big the beds were until after sharing one. 

When Max awoke again, it was a little after ten.  She stretched and laid in place for several more minutes before finally extracting herself from the covers and heading toward the door.

As she stepped outside, the door beside her also slammed shut.

“Max?”

"Morning, Victoria,” Max sighed.  Victoria was fully dressed and already on a warpath.

“What were you doing in Kate’s room?”

“I, uh…”  Admitting that she and Kate had shared a bed probably wasn’t the best idea.  Kate had enough gossip and cruel rumors spread about her already.  “I was just returning a book Kate let me borrow.”

“But Kate isn’t here.  She went to church, all mighty and pious,” she said with disdain.

“Leave her alone,” Max snapped.  “So what if she goes to church?  Why do you care?”

“Pfft, whatever.  I don’t know why you defend her so much.”  Victoria spun on her heel and strutted away down the hall.

Max couldn’t help but think: _And I don’t know why I didn’t let Jefferson kill you_. 

It was wrong, and Max shook her head, regretting the thought immediately.  She didn’t want anyone dead.  But Victoria could certainly be a pain in the ass. 

With a heavy sigh, Max continued with her routine, showering and getting ready for the day.  Not that she’d ever be ready to face anything now.

She managed to go to the cafeteria for lunch, though.  It was open for a few hours on weekends, and students could come and go as they pleased based off of their schedules.  In an attempt to avoid as many people as possible, Max went at the very end of lunchtime, and found a nice spot by herself in the corner.  Few people were around, and for that she was grateful.  She didn’t think she could handle everyone going about their lives as if nothing had happened.  Maybe she’d get over it eventually.  But not yet. 

Everything she’d been through, and she was scared of going to lunch.  Fuck.

At least Sundays were generally quiet.  Most people were crammed in their dorm rooms, finishing their homework for the week to come.  A few kids were skating on the steps and smoking, nodding at Max as she walked by.  She weakly waved back.  Justin had invited Max to smoke with him, to take her mind off of what she’d seen.  ‘What better way to honor Chloe than with some pot?’ he’d said, but Max had turned him down.  Her mind was messed up enough already, she didn’t need to do drugs too. 

In the courtyard outside the dormitory, Max ran into Alyssa closing the book she was reading.

“Hey, Max!”  She called and stood up from her bench.

“Hi Alyssa.  What’s up?”

“I was just about to head inside.  Warren is coming over to help me with the report for our science lab.  Stella and Kate said they might stop by too.  You should come with me.”

Max paused.  She did need help on the homework, but she didn’t know if she could handle being in a confined space with so many people.  It was worth a try, right?  If it was too much she could just leave.

“Yeah, sure.  I’ve got to get my lab stuff first though,” Max conceded. 

“C’mon then.”

Max followed her into the dorm.  She rushed into her room to grab her textbook, notebook, and calculator, then ventured back down the hall to Alyssa’s room.  The space was decorated with pictures for various sci-fi movies and a string of LED lights.  Stella was already waiting for them. 

“Hey guys,” she said, looking up from her book as they entered.  Alyssa plopped down beside her on the bed while Max sat pretzel-legged on the floor.

“Do you get this?”  Alyssa asked, looking over Stella’s shoulder.

Stella shrugged.  “It’s tough, but doable.”

“I’m glad I have smart friends,” Alyssa remarked with a smile.

Soon after, the door burst open and Warren stepped inside.

“What’s up?”  He cried as he entered.  “Hey, Max, I didn’t think I’d see you here.”

Max looked up at him.  “Yeah, well, I need help with the lab, even if I still feel like shit.”

“I get that,” he replied as he sat on the floor beside her.  “And, I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Thanks.”

Alyssa and Stella nodded in agreement with his statement, not wanting to overdo the somber moment.

“Shall we get started?”  Warren questioned, hoping to change the subject and lighten the mood.  “Get your geek on, let’s do some chemistry!”

“Nerd,” Max teased with a smile.

“You know it.  Now, what are you having trouble with?”

For the next couple hours, the group struggled through their lab reports with several breaks in between to gossip and complain and chat about this and that.  Max didn’t participate in the conversations much and found herself zoning out frequently, but she was content to be there.  With friends around her, she still felt alone, but knew that it wasn’t forever.

Once they’d finished the assignment, Stella turned on some music, playing it from her phone.  She and Alyssa argued about what song to play and they agreed to just put the playlist on shuffle after both of them fell on the floor from the joking struggle. 

The three others started singing along and dancing, and Max couldn’t help but join in.  She was far less enthusiastic, but at least she didn’t have to worry about being the worst dancer with Warren there.  That boy could not move to the beat to save his soul.

A few songs in, a song familiar to Max came on.  She couldn’t place where she’d heard it, but it made her sad.

She and Chloe had listened to it.  When they were playing ‘CSI: Arcadia Bay,’ and turned Chloe’s room into their center of operations, decorating their old drawing with clues and evidence. 

“Can you change the song?”  Max requested, but no one heard her over their conversation.

“Please, change the song,” she stressed again.  No one acknowledged her.

“Change it!  Change the song!”

Now three pairs of eyes snapped around to stare at her. 

“What’s wrong with the song, Max?”  Stella asked.

“Chloe… she… it was one of her favorites…” Max managed to mumble.

“Max…” Warren reached out his hand and put it on Max’s knee, but she couldn’t take it.  She grabbed her books and raced out of the room.  When she reentered her own room, she threw her things down and sank to the floor, curling up and letting the tears flow.

If just one song caused this reaction in Max, she couldn’t even imagine what it must’ve been like for Joyce.  Every little thing would remind her of her daughter.  She’d already lost William, and now Chloe too?  She didn’t deserve that.

And this time, she had only Max to blame.


	4. Depth of Field

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Monday dawns, Max carries on with her classes. She confronts Principal Wells for his lax attitude in addressing student concerns and problems, and Kate decides it's time for some answers.

Max shut herself up in her room for the remainder of the night.  When she finally finished crying, or had at least slowed the flow of tears and snot, she finished up her homework for the following day and did a little more writing in her journal.  Trying to write a separate diary for the days she spent time travelling and the days she inhabited now was difficult; oftentimes the events mingled and she couldn’t extract them from one another or the reality to which they belonged.

The following day, Max went to class and joined her fellow classmates at lunch in the cafeteria as she was expected to.  Algebra was especially confusing when she could hardly focus.  As if it wasn’t hard enough to begin with.

At 2:30 she made her way to her photography class, taking her seat at the back table where she always sat.  Kate smiled at her from her spot behind the window while Victoria and Taylor whispered to themselves.  Slowly the rest of their classmates trickled into the room, glancing at the others.

Last week, when Jefferson was arrested for his creepy activities, class had been cancelled.  The student body was in shock and there was no way they could get a substitute for the once great Mark Jefferson on such short notice.  But this week the students didn’t know if there would be class or not, so they all showed up, just in case.

As the minutes ticked by, no teacher showed.  They sat in silence, staring uneasily around the room.  They’d all looked up to Jefferson.  Respected him, even revered him.  Aspired to be like him.  Many of them had crushed on him.  But now they all felt dirty for ever feeling that way.  Having experienced his methods first hand and remembering fully what he’d done, Max felt particularly unclean. 

“Well?”  Victoria finally said.  “How long are we supposed to wait here?  Do we have class or not?”

“You do not,” a voice answered as the door thudded closed. 

“Principal Wells?”  She asked.

“All classes previously taught by Mr. Jefferson will be cancelled again this week,” he explained.  “We hope to have a substitute in by next week, but we will alert you by email as to when your classes will start up again.  Until then, take the time to study for your other classes and try to keep up to date with the world of photography.  But, for now, you are dismissed.”

Hesitantly, the students began to pack their bags and head for the door.  Most of them had truly enjoyed Jefferson’s class – photography was why many of them were attending Blackwell after all – but they didn’t want to sit in that room unnecessarily for any longer than was required. 

“Miss Caulfield, if I may have a moment?”

Max sighed as she turned back from the door.  As Alyssa moved past her, she bumped her arm encouragingly.

“Now, Max,” Principal Wells said.  She knew that voice.  The lecture voice.  “I am aware that you were in the bathroom when Nathan Prescott shot Chloe Price.  And I can only imagine what effect seeing something like that could have on you, particularly since you claim to have been close with Chloe.  I want you to know that here at Blackwell we are a close-knit community, and if you ever need someone to talk to about what happened, you are encouraged to visit the school nurse.  She has training in mental health matters, and would be a good resource for you to utilize during this time.”

“Will you listen to her advice about me like you did her recommendations about Kate Marsh?”

He paused.  “Excuse me?”

Max grit her teeth, then launched forth.  “As I understand it, the nurse told you Kate was having a really hard time with the bullying she faced.  That she was struggling from severe depression.  That an investigation should be launched to discover what really happened to her that night, and that you should do something to help her.  But you didn’t.  You did nothing.”

“That situation has cleared itself up now…”

“Has it?”  Max snapped.  “Depression doesn’t just go away like that, and it’s not like people aren’t still assholes to Kate.”  She stopped for a second then continued.  “And what would you have done if the situation _hadn’t_ cleared itself up?  What if Kate had, I don’t know, killed herself?  On Blackwell property?  What would you do?  Throw yourself deeper into the drink?”

She didn’t know why she was assaulting Principal Wells in this way.  If he hadn’t been so weak-willed in response to the Prescott’s threats, hadn’t continued to take their money, if he’d stood up to Nathan like he should have, maybe Chloe would still be alive.  And he had ignored Kate’s pleas for help for so long.  The encouraging advice he’d given in the alternate timeline where Max went with him to San Francisco didn’t mean he didn’t have his failings as an administrator.  And right then, Max had no inhibitions about telling him so.

He took a step back, glaring down at her.  “Now, I understand that you have had a difficult week, but you need to watch your accusations.  You are stepping out of line.”

“Like all the times Nathan Prescott stepped out of line?  Maybe I just need to pay you more.”

“Max…”

“Fine.”  Her mind’s filter finally recognized it was time to put a halt to this conversation if she wanted to remain at Blackwell and keep her scholarships.  “But with all due respect, _sir_ , I think I can manage just fine on my own.  Thank you for the suggestion though.”

Max brushed past him and exited the room. 

As she stormed out of the room, a gentle hand stopped her.

“Max, are you okay?”  Kate questioned, concern etched on her face.

Max let out a frustrated sigh as she held back what threatened to be a sob.  “I need some time alone.”

She stepped past Kate and marched out of the building.  As she crossed the quad, a hand grabbed hers and dragged her toward the dorm.  Kate was pulling her, directing her.  This wasn’t a friendly recommendation that Max follow, it was an insistence.  And Max obliged, letting herself be led into Kate’s room.

“Kate, what is this?”  She asked as Kate slammed the door shut and stood in front of it, hands on her hips.  Max nervously glanced around the room as she refused to make eye-contact.

“Max.  Talk to me.”


	5. Trust Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max finally tells Kate about her rewind power. But does Kate believe her?

“Max.  Talk to me.”

Max sighed, still preferring to look around Kate’s room instead of making eye contact with the other girl.

“Kate, I don’t know-”

“Listen, I know you’re going through a tough time.  You lost a friend.  But you come in here, freaking out because of a dream that I’ve killed myself, you explode when you hear a certain song, and now you assault Principal Wells?  As worried as you’ve been about me, the one I’m worried about is _you_.”  Kate stepped over to Max, grabbing her hands and squeezing them affectionately.

“And I appreciate that.  You’re a good friend, Kate, but… I’m just distraught, I guess…”

“Obviously,” Kate replied.  “I’d be more surprised if you weren’t.  But there’s someone else going on with you.  How did you know all those things about Principal Wells?  About me?  And you keep saying that you killed Chloe, like you blame yourself.  And you blame yourself more than you would if you were just a bystander.”

How could Max possibly explain the truth?  It was so unbelievable.  Even Chloe had barely believed in Max’s rewind power until she proved herself again and again, and now Max had no way of convincing anyone.  Not that she would want to; messing around with it would only spawn another tornado.  Or something worse.

Kate continued, “Max, whatever it is, whatever’s going on with you, I’m not going to judge you.  I just want to help.  So, please, talk to me.”

Max wouldn’t be able to get out of this one with a simple ‘I’m just upset.’  Either she had to dig a deeper hole of lies, or she told the truth.  Neither option sounded particularly great.

“Do you believe in magic?”  Max finally asked as she sat.  Kate would think she was crazy.

“I believe in miracles,” she answered, taking a seat beside Max on the bed.

“Well, I wouldn’t quite call it that, but…”  With a heavy exhale, Max made her explanation.  “Last Monday I found I had the ability to rewind time, a few seconds or minutes at a time.”

She studied Kate’s expression.  If she thought Max was crazy, she wasn’t showing it.

Continuing on, Max said, “I went to the bathroom after Jefferson’s class and Nathan and Chloe came in soon after.  I hid in the corner but when he shot her, I stopped time.  I went back, and I was able to save her.  I pressed the fire alarm because I knew what would happen.  When the fire alarm went off, they both ran, both alive.  And for the last week, I worked with Chloe to find out what happened to Rachel Amber, using my new-found rewind power to piece it all together.  We tracked the clues found out it was Jefferson, and Nathan, but he was following what Jefferson told him.  We found the Dark Room, where Jefferson… drugged and took photos of other girls.  We found Rachel Amber's body.”

Kate didn’t interrupt.  Instead, she waited for Max to keep talking. 

“But every day of the week, strange things happened.  There was a freak snowfall, an eclipse, birds and whales started dying, and then there were two moons… and on Friday a tornado hit Arcadia Bay.

“Every time I used my rewind power to get more information, or change the course of events, or save Chloe’s life or my own, I caused a reaction.  And it led to a tornado.  The only way I could stop it was to go back in time to the moment Chloe and Nathan fought in the bathroom, and I had to let her die.”

Tears welled up in Max’s eyes as speaking became more difficult.  “Last week was different the first time I did it.  Chloe was alive.  Nathan and Jefferson weren’t arrested.  More people got hurt… I had to change it.  I had to fix it, make it as right as I could.  But that meant Chloe had to die.  When I went back to that moment in the bathroom, I altered the events of last week to the way things are now.

“That’s why I say I killed Chloe.  I made that choice to let her die this time.  And that’s why I know so much about Principal Wells and everyone else, because I spent a week figuring it all out.  A week that now never happened.”

For a moment, Kate sat, processing what had been said.  Then she stood and turned on the kettle to make some tea.  Still, she said nothing as she poured two cups of hot water and put a teabag in each.  She handed one to Max and took a seat again.

“Max…”

She didn’t believe her.  Just by the tone of her voice, Max could tell. 

Not that Max blamed her. 

It was all fucking insane.

“You’ve been through a traumatic time,” Kate said, putting her hand on Max’s thigh.  “Your mind can play tricks.  Sometimes it tries to hide the trauma, and sometimes it makes it worse.  I know-”

“No, you’re not listening!”  Max swiftly rose to her feet and slammed her teacup down on the end-table.  “Please, you have to believe me.”

“I believe that you believe it.”

“I was in the Dark Room,” Max stated.  “I saw the pictures Jefferson took of you.  And he caught me, drugged me.  He tied me up and took pictures of me, sick, sick photos.”  Her voice wavered as she spoke, and she looked at the ground.  “He was going to kill me.  Because I knew too much.”

“Max, please…”

“I watched you die!”

That got Kate’s attention.  She set down her tea and looked up insistently at Max.

“What?”

“It wasn’t just a nightmare the other night, when I saw you commit suicide.  Because Jefferson wasn’t arrested, the police never found the Dark Room, they didn’t find the pictures he took of you, of all the other girls.  They didn’t know what he did, or what Nathan did.  So Victoria and everyone kept spreading that video of you when you were drugged.  Nothing was stopping them.  You asked me if you should go to the police, and I said no.”  A sob caught in Max’s throat as she looked up at the ceiling, a tear falling down her cheek.  “I wanted to find more proof.  But I didn’t have the chance.  Jefferson made you cry and you climbed to the top of the dorm.  I tried to stop you, Kate, I tried… but… I couldn’t – I couldn’t save you.  You…”

As Max broke into tears, Kate stood and embraced her.  They both shuddered while they cried, holding onto each other tight, as if to let go would take them back to that rooftop.

A few moments later they separated slightly, still clinging to the other.

“I believe you, Max,” Kate whispered.  “I believe you.”


	6. Rewind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max tells Kate more about her adventures through time with Chloe.

Max wiped her face.  “You do?  You believe me?”  She whimpered.

“It’s… it’s so unbelievable I have to believe it.  I trust you,” she said as she squeezed Max’s arm.  “You believed me when you didn’t have to, so I believe you.”

“A girl getting drugged and assaulted is a bit more believable than time travel magic.”

“Sadly, yes,” Kate admitted.  “What you say… it just feels true.  I don’t know how else to describe it.  And, frankly, it explains a lot.”

Max turned and sat back down on the bed, grabbing her tea and bobbing the teabag up and down repetitively.  Kate followed suit before continuing.

“It explains why you know so much about everyone.  And why you’re so emotionally fragile.  Don’t take that in a bad way,” she added hastily as Max cast a glare her way.  “But if you’ve lived two weeks in the course of what was now only one week?  And you were tortured and hurt and went through hell?  Saying you’re distraught is an understatement.”

Max still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that Kate believed her.  Or was at least humoring her.  Not being told that she was crazy was a relief. 

“You actually believe me?”  She asked again, just to make sure.

“Do you still have your rewind powers?”

“I don’t know.”  She shook her head.  “And I don’t really _want_ to know.  If I do have them, I don’t want to mess with them.  Last time I used them I created a tornado that would have destroyed Arcadia Bay.  It’s just easier to assume that I don’t.  That’s safer for everyone.”

Not that she hadn’t thought about it.  She didn’t know how her powers came to be.  Either they came to her to save Chloe in that specific moment, or they were something she’d always possessed but just didn’t know how to use.  And in the latter case, now that she knew about them, she couldn’t help but wonder if there was a way for her to go back in time and save Chloe again. 

But Max knew the consequences that would cause.  She couldn’t do it again, to save Chloe only to lose her again.  And what would the universe decide to destroy as recompense that time? 

No.  It was better to assume she couldn’t rewind.  No more Super Max.

“Right, that makes sense,” Kate said, snapping Max out of her reverie.

“Why?  Did you want me to prove to you that I had them?”  Max questioned before taking a sip of tea.

Kate exhaled slowly, still steeping her teabag.  “That’s probably silly, isn’t it?  If what you say is true – and I don’t want to make it sound like I’m doubting you – then your powers could have destroyed us.  Probably safer to leave things like that alone.”

For a moment they sat, saying nothing, with only the clinking of teacups to break the silence.

“What… What did Jefferson do to you?  You said you remember it.”

“Kate, do you really want to know?”  Max asked, turning to look at her friend.

“I do.  I can’t remember what happened to me.  But I think it might make me feel better just to know for sure.  Or at least have an idea?  The police say they found proof that I was drugged and taken to the Dark Room, but I don’t know any more than that.  I’m as much in the dark as everyone else.  But if I knew, if I could remember… I think I would feel more whole.”

Kate stared straight at the wall as she spoke, and though she sat beside Max, it felt like she was miles away.  She didn’t even know what happened to her on the night that changed her life.

Max obliged.  “Well, what he did to me… Chloe and I had gone to the junkyard, because we thought that Nathan was going to dig up Rachel’s body and get rid of her, so there would be no proof that she was dead.  It wasn’t actually Nathan, it was Jefferson using his phone, so when we got there he snuck up on us.  He shot Chloe in the head-” her voice cracked “-and stabbed me in the neck with a syringe.  I was out cold.  He took me back to the Dark Room and posed me.  At one point I was lying on the floor but I couldn’t move as he took picture after picture.  Later he tied me to a chair.  He said he wanted to capture the moment innocence was gone.  That’s why he felt he had to go to such extreme measures, because models weren’t innocent in his eyes. 

“When you went to the Vortex Club party, Nathan drugged you.  Jefferson used him, manipulated him, into helping him.  When you were dosed up, he took you to Jefferson, and he took the same kind of sick photos of you.  You were completely out of it when it happened.  The look in your eyes… it was like you were awake but you weren’t _there_.”

“He didn’t…”  Kate stumbled on her words.  “He didn’t do anything _else_ to you?”

Max shivered.  “I don’t think so.  If he did… I don’t remember it.”

Kate sighed and wrapped her arms around herself.

“I’m sorry, Kate.”

“No, it’s not your fault, Max.  I’m sorry you had to go through the same thing.  You didn’t deserve that,” she replied.

“Neither did you,” Max insisted.  “None of the girls that he drugged deserved it.  He was a fucked up man.  And hopefully now he won’t hurt anyone else ever again.”

Kate nodded forcefully, still staring at the wall for a moment before breaking her gaze to look at Max.

“Will you tell me about your week?  The week in the other timeline?  I want to know everything that happened.”

Max was confused.  “Do you really?  I don’t think it’ll make you feel any better.”

“Maybe not,” she admitted.  “But no one knows what you went through.  You are carrying all this pain inside of you and nobody knows the whole extent of it.  I want to help you.”

“Kate, are too good of a person for this world,” Max laughed and Kate smiled.  They always said people with depression wanted to help others fight the sadness, so that no one would have to feel the way they did.  That probably explained a lot about both Max and Kate.

“I have a journal,” Max said.  “I’ve been writing down everything that happened over that week.  Would you like to read it?”

“I would.  If you don’t mind sharing it with me.”

“I think I would like it to have someone else on my side.”

“I’m always on your side.”

Max knocked back the rest of her tea before leading Kate across the hall into her own room.  She pulled her secondary journal out of a desk drawer and handed it to Kate as they sat next to each other on the couch.

Kate read in silence, occasionally asking questions for clarification or making a remark about a specific situation.  She laughed out loud at the fiasco in the diner with Frank and his beans. 

“This is… wow,” she breathed as she finished reading and handed the journal back to Max.

“Yeah.”

“You and Chloe…” she asked.  “You loved her, didn’t you?”

Max let out a quiet groan.  “I mean, yes.  She was my best friend.  Whether it was romantic or not… I don’t know about that… maybe if she was still here something would’ve happened with that.  But now?  It’s just another line on the long list of what-ifs."

"I get that."

“Did I do the right thing?”  Max cried after a moment, putting her head in her hands.  “Did I make the right choice, letting Chloe die?”

Kate took a second to respond.  “This probably won’t make you feel any better, but I don’t think there was a right choice from what you say.  Either way, you would never be the same.  And you would still feel guilty.”

“You’re right, that doesn’t make me feel better.”

“I’m sorry.  But, for what it’s worth, I think what you did was very selfless.  You gave up someone that you love for dozens of people you barely know.  And you gave me back my life; don’t think I’m not grateful for that.  And you’re a stronger person now, braver.  I didn’t know Chloe, but I think she would be proud of you.”

“I hope so.”


	7. Learning to Survive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is relieved to have someone know about her rewind powers and everything that she went through, and Kate does her best to make this timeline safe.

Having someone else know the truth about her rewind power was a weight off of Max’s back.  Not that she didn’t still have several dozen other things weighing her down, but it was still a reprieve. 

The rest of the week didn’t feel any easier, but Max was able to navigate her classes and the other students.  Alyssa, Stella, and Warren all approached her cautiously after her outburst during their study session, but accepted her apology readily enough.  Despite not knowing the whole of what she’d been through, they were still good friends.

Meanwhile, Kate was a lifeline, and that feeling stretched both ways.  Most afternoons, after their classes were over, the two of them would sit together in one of their rooms.  A lot of the time they didn’t have any lengthy discussions, but would just work on their homework or waste time on social media as they would separately.  Alone, but together. 

And that made Max feel a twang of guilt.  Even before she needed help, she should have been there more for Kate, just to sit beside her or share dumb posts or help her with homework.  To think that Max was the one who helped her the most after the Vortex Club party; she was still a pitiful friend.  Kate was looking out for Max when she was still at war with her own mind and the terrors of her past. 

This thought hit Max particularly hard Thursday afternoon as Kate sat beside her.  Max was working on her music homework, while Kate read her history textbook. 

“I’m sorry, Kate.”

Kate looked up from her reading.  “Sorry for what?”

“For not being a better friend.”

Now Kate closed her book and turned to face Max.  “Max, you’ve been a great friend.”

“I should’ve done this before _I_ needed help,” she confessed.  “I know how much having you just in the same room as me has helped me feel less isolated.  If I’d done the same thing for you after… maybe it would have helped you too.”

“I wasn’t always interested in having company.  Most of the time I just wanted to shut myself away.  I still feel that way now, sometimes.  And I know you do too.”

Max nodded.

“That’s why this is important for both of us.”  She reached over and put her hand on Max’s.  “We both need someone who understands what we’ve been through, who can at least sympathize, if not empathize, to pull us out of our bubble of self-destructive thought.  But it’s hard to reach out.”

“Impossible to,” Max added.

“Exactly.  I’m just glad I can help.  And you help me too, Max.  I’m glad you’re here.”

Max took Kate’s hand and held it gently. 

“Thank you, Kate.” 

After a moment, Max chuckled and added, “And I’m sorry I took you away from your history reading.”

“Oh, it was riveting,” Kate laughed.  “It was time for a break.  And this is better anyway.”  She gave Max’s hand an affectionate squeeze.

“Yeah, it is.”

Max leaned over and put her head on Kate’s shoulder.  Shutting her eyes, she smiled.

 _Safe_ , she thought to herself.  _You’re safe here._  

* * *

 

After their Friday classes, Alyssa’s room became the meeting place yet again, this time for a movie night.  Warren had set the whole thing up, since he still wanted to go to the drive-in but figured this would be a bit easier on Max.  Not that he admitted to using that line of reasoning, but that was the implication everyone understood. 

Since Alyssa had agreed to host (she had the biggest TV), people trickled into her room and situated themselves on her furniture while she ran back and forth with drinks and popcorn.  Max, Kate, Stella, Brooke, and Daniel were the other inactive attendees.  Because there wasn’t enough room for all seven people to sit on the couch, Max sat on the floor, leaned up against Kate’s legs, and Warren again sat beside her in an inconspicuously conspicuous means of being near her.  Alyssa called dibs on her comfy chair and Stella lounged on the bed.

“Alright party people,” Warren cried as he rummaged through his selection of DVDs.  “What do we want to watch?  _Back to the Future_?  _Terminator_?  We could just binge _Doctor Who_ too.”

“The Ninth Doctor is still the best,” Alyssa said, raising her fist in solidarity. 

“Please.  David Tennant all the way,” Stella replied.

As they argued over their favorite Doctors and Warren kept offering up more movies, Max couldn’t help but notice the trend in most of the titles: time travel. 

“What about something lighter?”  Kate suggested.  “It’s been a strange couple weeks, so maybe…” she pushed her way past Max and picked a disk out of Alyssa’s collection.  “How about _Tangled_?”

“What are we, eight years old?”  Brooke sassed, crossing her arms and looking bored.

“I’m in,” Stella said.

“Me too.”  Max made eye contact with Kate and smiled.

“All in favor of a Disney movie marathon/sing along time, raise your hand,” Alyssa demanded. 

It was an easy majority.  Who didn’t love a good Disney movie?

The opening titles played while Kate took her seat back behind Max. 

“Thanks, Kate,” she whispered, grateful for her intervention.

“You’re welcome.”  Then Kate sat back and got comfortable as the movie launched off.

Surrounded by friends, Max felt a little bit better.  Nobody was asking about super powers or making references to Chloe, no matter how accidental.  And for the first time since Chloe was killed, Max thought that maybe things would be okay.  Maybe this would be a world Max wouldn’t mind living in.


	8. Artistic License

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite there being proof that Kate was drugged on the night of the Vortex Party, some people aren't content to let her be, and continue to provoke her.

Max’s eyes flickered open.  The sun was barely trickling in through the blinds.

7:24 am.

What the fuck was she doing up so early?  It was Sunday morning and all she wanted to do was sleep in. 

For a while, Max tossed and turned, trying desperately to get back to sleep, but to no avail.  At 8:00, she finally gave up the battle and decided to get on with her day.

Grabbing her shower caddy and a change of clothes, she headed to the showers, where she practically fell back to sleep in the stall.  Of course she would fall asleep there, not in her nice, warm, comfy bed. 

With a sigh, she eventually dragged herself out of the water and got dressed, then made her way back down the hall to her room.  She didn’t expect anyone else to be up, given the early hour.  Especially no one from the end of the hall closest to the exit; they hadn’t gotten back from wherever they’d been until 4:00am.

But no.  The hall was hardly empty.

Victoria and Taylor stood in front of Kate’s door, giggling quietly to themselves.

“What are you doing?”  Max asked as she neared them. 

They were writing on Kate’s whiteboard.  Crude drawings of penises surrounded the word “SLUT” in block-letters.

Max groaned.  Disappointed but not surprised.

“Creating art,” Victoria replied. 

“Shouldn’t you create the art on your own whiteboard?”  Max replied.  “You know, art is the truest reflection of the artist.”

“Oh, ha ha, aren’t you so funny?”  She maintained her scowl. 

After a moment during which Max decided it was too early to try and persuade Victoria with niceness, she said, “Why are you doing this, Victoria?  Why?  What is the point?”

“You saw that video.  We’re just helping her accept her true self.”

“She was drugged!”

Victoria scoffed.  “Listen, what happened to her is awful.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s fucked up.  Girls getting drugged is bad, even if it happens to someone I don’t like.  But, really, I don’t think the drugs made her make out with all those people.  They just lowered her inhibitions so she forgot all the bullshit in that fancy book of hers.”

 “Do you know how fucked up Kate’s gotten because of all the shit you’ve put her through?”  Max cried, stepping toward Victoria and Taylor threateningly.  “Do you even care?  Chloe is dead and Nathan is in jail, along with your precious Mr. Jefferson.  Can’t you just give it a rest?  Stop being an asshole for, like, a day?”

Victoria met Max’s glare with an equally fiery stare, but Taylor looked very uncomfortable.

“Maybe we did take it a little far…” she murmured.

Before she finished speaking, Victoria wheeled around to face her.  “Bullshit.”

“Listen to Taylor,” Max said.  “She always was smarter than you.”

Victoria turned back to respond to Max, her tone softening into blatant disdain rather than violent bitchiness.  “Whatever.  We’re done here, anyway.  And before you try to just wipe it off before your little girlfriend comes back from church, we used special permanent marker.  Doesn’t come off, not with any special trick.”  To demonstrate, she wiped her hand across the whiteboard.  None of the ink even smeared.  “So good luck with that, bitch.”

With Taylor in tow, Victoria sauntered away down the hall, leaving Max seething. 

Couldn’t she just try to be a decent person for a second?  Max knew she could be somewhat nice, at least not openly vindictive, from the alternate timeline.  But now, they’d had no positive connection and only maintained their mutual dislike.

Even though she’d claimed the marker wouldn’t come off, that didn’t mean Max wouldn’t try.  The eraser on the end of Kate’s marker didn’t work, neither did Max’s hand.  She got water and soap from the bathroom, scrubbing as hard as she could against the surface, but barely made a scratch in a poorly drawn ball sack.

Kate went to the 8:00 service at the local church.  Most weeks she would stay after to set up the food pantry and help out with Meals-on-Wheels, but it wasn’t a given, and Max didn’t know when she might be back. 

But she did know she didn’t want Kate to see Victoria’s artwork.  Kate was dealing with enough and she didn’t need more.

Ten o’clock came and went, and Max decided she didn’t want to take the chance that Kate would be back soon.  So she grabbed the edges of the whiteboard and pried it off the wall.  The adhesive ripped most of the paint away with it, but it was free.  She then turned and did the same to the whiteboard outside of her own room.

With the help of a roll of duct tape her dad insisted she take with her to Blackwell, Max replaced Kate’s dirty whiteboard with her clean, unadulterated one.  It looked as good as new… maybe not _new_ , but it wasn’t terrible.  If Kate didn’t examine it closely, she probably wouldn’t notice it.

Max grabbed the SLUT whiteboard and took it into her room, still trying to scrub the writing off, but she didn’t have any luck.  Whatever marker Victoria used was a pain in her ass.

About 10:30, there was a knock on her door.  Max shoved the unclean whiteboard under her bed and answered the door to find Kate, still in her church clothes.

“I’m glad I didn’t wake you,” she said with a smile.  “But did you know your whiteboard is gone?”

“I did see that,” she replied, acting dismayed.  “I came back from the shower and it was gone.  I’m guessing Victoria.”

“Probably a good guess.”

“I’ll talk to Samuel, see if he can get me a new one.”  _Or get me some super-cleaning agent._

“Okay, I just wanted to let you know,” Kate mentioned.  “Do you want to grab lunch in a bit?”

“Sure.”

“Alright, sounds good.”  Kate smiled again, then shut the door and let Max alone. 

Kate knew what Max had done.  She’d run into Stella on her way across the quad, and she’d heard the entire confrontation between Max and Victoria. 

But Kate wouldn’t say a word.  Silently, she would appreciate Max’s action. 

Kate stepped into her room and grabbed a piece of blank paper and a marker, along with a roll of tape, before returning to the hallway.  She taped the paper up where Max’s whiteboard once was and wrote ‘Insert Whiteboard Here.’  As a personal touch, she added a small heart in the bottom corner.


	9. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max pays Joyce a visit at home, and discusses David's extracurricular surveillance.

Max sighed as she stared up at the house.  So many good memories, times she’d raced up to that door, but now her heart grew heavy at the sight.

Since Blackwell was yet to find a replacement for Mr. Jefferson, Max decided that she would go check in with Joyce during what should have been her photography class.  It was Joyce’s afternoon off from the diner, so Max knew she would be home.

With a sinking feeling, Max stepped up to the door and knocked.

“Come on in!”

Max obliged.  “Joyce?  It’s Max.”

“Max, darling,” she said as she stepped around the corner.  Max couldn’t help but notice how red her eyes were.  “It’s good to see you.”

“It’s good to see you too.  I thought I would stop by, see if there was anything I could help with.”

“That’s sweet of you, but you don’t need to fret over me.” 

Max brushed hair out of her face and fidgeted.  “I’m not fretting.  I just… want to help.  You’re going through hell, Joyce, and if there’s anything I can do…”

_You’re going through hell, Joyce, and I’m the one that fucking murdered your daughter.  Messed with time and space but still couldn’t save her life._

“Well, since you’re already here…”  Joyce stepped into the kitchen and Max followed.  “You can help me wash the dishes.  There’s a towel right there.  I’ll wash, you dry.”

“You got it, boss,” Max replied with a smile.

“I haven’t had the heart to look at any of Chloe’s things yet,” Joyce said weakly as she scrubbed at a plate.  “I can’t even go into her room.”

“Yeah… it’s… hella messed up.”

Joyce let out a faint chuckle.  “‘Hella.’  That was one of Chloe’s go-to words.”

“It was.”

“I’m glad you’re here though, Max.  You keep checking in on me, and I’m grateful.  Seeing you… it reminds me that the world isn’t all bad.  Maybe Chloe is gone, but you’re still here.  You still have so much life to live.”  A tear ran off her cheek and splashed into the dishwater.

Max exhaled sharply as the words struck her.  “I’m glad you feel that way.  I was afraid… I was afraid that seeing me would just remind you of Chloe and make you feel worse.”

“You do bring back memories of Chloe.  All the times you two got into trouble when you were younger,” she laughed.  “To think of all the adventures you two could’ve had now that you are full-fledged adults… Reminding me of her is good.  I want to remember her.  Even if it hurts.”

“We’ll never forget her,” Max said as she reached over and took Joyce’s hand, giving it a supportive squeeze.  “In that way, she’s still with us.”

“You’re right, Max.”  Joyce smiled, before carrying on with her washing.  Then she let out a full laugh.  “The house still smells like pot.”

“Hard to forget her when she’s still giving you secondhand highs,” Max joked.

Once they’d finished with the dishes, Joyce brought out the scrapbook, and looked over the pictures with Max.  In another timeline, they’d done the same thing.  Except then they were just commiserating how different Chloe was, not mourning and recollecting memories that could soon fade away.

As Max looked over the photos, she had to stop herself from wondering: could she use one to go back?  See Chloe one last time, or change reality so that she could be alive?

Sure, she knew what havoc that could cause, but crying with Joyce over a blurry photograph didn’t seem like a particularly happy ending either. 

“Joyce, sweetie, I’m home,” came the cry from the entryway.

“David – Max is here.”

He stepped over to Joyce and gave her a kiss before nodding in welcome to Max.  In this timeline, they’d had little interaction.  He’d brought her to the police after Chloe was shot, but they didn’t speak much on the way.  This time around, he didn’t believe she was a pothead, blazing up in his step-daughter’s room before getting him kicked out of the house.

But at the same time, Joyce didn’t know about David’s extracurricular surveillance.  She needed to know.  Not that she needed any additional trauma, but she deserved to know the truth. 

So when the phone rang and Joyce stood to answer it, stepping upstairs to speak, Max decided to confront David.  Though with less hostility than she did when Chloe was at her side.

“David, you have to tell her about the cameras in the house.”

“What?  What are you talking about?”

“I know about your surveillance,” she said.  “Following Kate Marsh and wanting security cameras at Blackwell.  That’s creepy enough, but cameras in the house?  Spying on your wife and step-daughter?  That’s just… wrong.”

He hesitated, glancing toward the stairs.  “How do you know about that?”

“I…”  _In an alternate timeline I found your hidden security feeds and hacked into your personal laptop to hunt down a killer._ “I was helping Joyce put some things away and found all of your surveillance stuff.  The pictures, the feeds, the information you gathered from stalking people.”

“Now that’s-”

“No, that’s what they are.  That’s what you did.  And you kept it all secret.  Don’t you think Joyce deserves to know that you’re spying on your own home?”

He began to antagonistically point a finger at Max, but she cut him off.

“Chloe died with a bit of respect for you.  She knew about all this, and still you wound up being good enough for her to actually call you her ‘step-father.’  Not ‘step-douche’ or ‘step-fucker.’  I know you love Joyce, and you loved Chloe.  So do it for them.  It’s better you’re honest than you keep spying on the house and she finds out on her own some other time.  Some other way.”  Max clenched her jaw.  If David didn’t tell Joyce, Max would have to take matters into her own hands.

“Is that a threat?”  David asked.

Max paused for a second.  “Yeah, it is.  It shouldn’t be necessary though.”

He sighed, lowering his head.  “You’re right.  She deserves to know.  And it was probably wrong to put cameras in our own home.”

“‘Probably?’”  Max scoffed.

“Okay, don’t push your luck.”

Max held up her hands in surrender.  Moments later, Joyce returned from her phone call.

“Who was that?”

“Insurance.  Still complaining about taking Chloe off my policy,” she answered.

“That’s lame,” Max commented.  “Anyway, I think it’s time I head back to Blackwell.  It was nice seeing both of you.”  She said as she grabbed her bag and headed to the door.  “I’ll be back.  And I’ll definitely be at the Two Whales for breakfast sometime soon.”

“Sounds good, Max, take care,” Joyce responded, smiling.

As Max left the house, she heard David:  “Joyce… there’s something I need to talk to you about…”


	10. Friendly Graffiti

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max comes back to the dorm to find Victoria causing havoc again.
> 
> I know it's taken me a while to update, so thank you all for your patience! I had some family stuff go down and I didn't have the chance to write, but I should be able to post more consistently now :)

Max climbed the stairs of the dorm and pushed open the doors, eager to rest.  Seeing Joyce and David and being in that house… it drained her.

But rest would have to wait.  A mass of people had congregated outside of her room.  Juliet had her phone out, recording the proceedings, while Alyssa was in the doorway, yelling at someone or something inside.

“Shit, she’s back!”  Max heard Dana cry as she approached the group.

“What’s going on?”  She asked.

“Victoria, you fucker!”  Alyssa yelled.  That pretty much answered the question right there.

“We called security.  Someone should be here soon,” Dana explained.  “Maybe you should just wait out here before it gets worse…”

But Max refused, pushing past the other students to find Victoria with a can of spray paint which she was using to graffiti Max’s wall of photographs.  More drawings of penises along with the words “dyke” and “bitch” adorned the space.  Taylor and Courtney stood beside her.  Taylor looked uncomfortable, while Courtney showed no inhibition.  If Queen Biatch demanded her presence, she would be there.

“Victoria, what the fuck,” Max said as she entered the space.  Her anger didn’t come across in her voice, just frustration and disappointment.  “Do you have no chill?”

“Since you decided you liked the artwork I left for Kate so much, I decided to make you your own mural,” she replied, turning from the wall to face Max.

“By the way you draw dicks, it’s clear you’ve never seen one in your life,” Max replied and Alyssa snorted in the doorway. 

“Is that supposed to be insulting?”  Victoria demanded as she stepped toward Max threateningly. 

“How did you even get in here?  I locked the door.”

“Samuel left that door of his open again.  He’s got a key to every room in there, in case something needs to be fixed.  And in this case, what needed to be fixed was your pretentious selfie wall.”  She gestured to the ruined pictures.

Max had lost it at this point.  No more Ms. Nice Max. 

“What is your problem?”  She shoved Victoria backwards.  “You broke into my room and vandalized it?  Who does that?  Besides some bitch with a narcissistic superiority complex.” 

Courtney stepped toward Max.  “How dare you-”

“Shut up, Courtney.  She’s mine.”  Victoria adjusted her sweater and moved back to Max.  “You need to back off or things will get worse for you.”

“ _She_ needs to back off?”  Alyssa exclaimed.  “This is her fucking room!”

“As if I haven’t survived worse,” Max spat.  “All you’re doing is being annoying, Victoria.  I’m not afraid of you.  After all the shit I’ve been through these past few weeks, this is nothing.  You’re just a coward.  Now give me the spray can and get the hell out of my room.”

“Yeah, right.”

Max lunged forward to grab the can as Victoria jumped backwards.  Courtney and Taylor tried to intervene, but Max managed to corner Victoria beside the couch and pry the spray paint out of her hand. 

“You’re done,” Max said.

“Yeah, you tell her, Max!”  Alyssa cried and a few cheers sounded from the mob outside the door.

“Security’s coming!”  Someone announced.

With that, the three intruders attempted to flee Max’s room, but Max held Victoria in place.  Taylor and Courtney got away, shoving people out of their path.

With a clattering sound, Juliet yelled, “My phone!  You bitch!”

“Don’t even think about it,” Max stated.

“The school can’t touch me,” Victoria replied.  “My family pays them too much.  I’ll get off with a warning.”

Max let out a growl.  Why was Victoria doing this?  Couldn’t she calm down for a day?  Just leave people alone and not be a massive douche-nugget all the time?

Before she registered what she was doing, Max held up the can of spray paint, threatening Victoria. 

“What are you going to do, spray paint me?”

Max was so fed up, she didn’t even have to think.

“Yes.  Yes, I am.”

Black paint sprayed right into Victoria’s face a moment before two security officers entered the room.


	11. Clean Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Victoria discover the consequences for their actions.

Max and Victoria sat in Principal Wells’ office.  The principal paced behind his desk while David Madsen stood in the corner, arms crossed, watching the other man.

“I’m very disappointed in both of you,” Principal Wells said as he turned to face the girls. 

Max and Victoria glanced at each other.

“What you have done is completely inappropriate.  Vandalism, assault?  I thought you were better behaved than that.

“Because of your behavior,” he continued, “both of you will face detention for a week, and forfeit your off-campus privileges until it has been determined that you will behave appropriately for a student of Blackwell Academy.”

“You can’t do this to me,” Victoria snapped, sitting back and crossing her arms.

“Why am I getting punished?”  Max cried.  “She’s the one that broke into my room and spray painted everything.”

“And how did Miss Chase end up with a face full of spray paint?”  Principal Wells asked as he raised an eyebrow.

Before Max could respond, David stepped in.  “There is no proof that there wasn’t a struggle of some sort between these two.  Perhaps Max simply tried to take the can away from Victoria, and it happened to go off in the process?  The video taken by what’s-her-name cut out before security showed up.”

“That is true…”  Principal Wells pondered.

“What!?”  Victoria yelled.  “This bitch painted my face!  It took ages for it all to wash off.  And it got all over my sweater and everything!”

“I’m sure your cashmere will survive,” Max replied quietly.  One timeline or another, Victoria still got covered in paint.

“Regardless, I think both of you need to face consequences.”

“Consequences for what!?”  Max cried again.  “She broke into my room and vandalized my stuff, but now I’m getting the same punishment as her?  That’s messed.”

“It’s not like you are totally innocent here,” Victoria said to her.

“Oh, right, because you’re not vandalizing Kate’s whiteboard, or making degrading comments about her behind her back.  Those are just the most recent transgressions.  It’s not like this is the only bad shit you’ve done. 

“I know you’re a decent person, Victoria.  You’re a great artist, and I know that you can do great things.  You don’t need to tear other people down just to make yourself feel better.  All you’re doing is getting other people hurt.”

For a moment Victoria’s gaze softened, but soon enough she rolled her eyes and turned back to Principal Wells and David.

“I don’t know what she’s talking about.  She’s not making any sense.”

Max sighed and shook her head.  It was bullshit.  She wouldn’t deny that she pulled the trigger to send spray paint into Victoria’s face, but she hadn’t fessed up to it either.  Still, she was going to get punished in the same way as Victoria?  Didn’t it count as self-defense or something?  And how was she supposed to know that spray paint was possibly toxic?  When Warren found out he started rambling something about volatile carriers and heavy metals, but she didn’t know what any of that meant. 

“I-” Max started to say, but Principal Wells cut her off.

“Enough.  I’ve made my decision.  Detention, and suspension of off campus privileges.”

“Principal Wells!”  Max exclaimed.

“That’s enough out of you, Miss Caulfield.  You’ve done enough.”

“I didn’t do anything!  She-”

“If you continue we will have to discuss the possibility of losing your scholarship.”

Max was about to protest, but she stopped herself.  She wasn’t going to change his mind.  Bitching him out earlier probably didn’t endear her any to him either.  Victoria was managing to get off easy, while Max felt her punishment was amped up. 

“Now, both of you, head back to the dorms.  And, do everyone a favor, just try to stay out of each other’s way.  I don’t want to have another conversation like this.”

“That won’t be a problem, Principal Wells,” Victoria said sweetly as she led the way out of the room.

As Max followed behind her, she caught David’s eye.  He gestured his head slightly in sympathy.  He must have appreciated her convincing him to tell Joyce about the surveillance in the house and coming clean about it all.  Otherwise, it was doubtful he would take her side.

As Max and Victoria stepped out into the hall, the latter looked over at Max briefly before strutting out of the school. 

Max watched her go, sighing, before someone tackled her from behind, engulfing her in an embrace.

“How’d it go?”  Warren asked as Max recovered enough to turn and face him.  The entire school was already aware of the incident.

“Detention for a week and I can’t leave campus until they decide my behavior is ‘appropriate,’ or something.  Victoria got the same thing.”

“That’s bullshit!”  He cried.

“You’re telling me.”

“I mean, you definitely filled her face full of spray paint, but she still broke into your room and destroyed all your stuff.”

“Shh.  There’s no proof I did what you’re saying.”

“Riiiight,” he said before putting his arm around her and leading her out into the quad.  “Alyssa told me everything though.  And the video Juliet shot before her phone got wrecked has gone viral.”

“I’d rather that than Kate’s video.”

“Yeah, me too.  I still wish I’d been there to see you mess her up like that.”

Max smiled smugly.  “It was kind of fun.  I just don’t get her.”

Before Max could say more, Warren stopped where he was and threw his hands up in dismay.

“This is awful!”

“What?  What is it?”  Max asked hastily.

“If you can’t leave campus, that means we can’t go to the drive-in!”

Even if they’d gone to the drive-in, Warren would be very disappointed because Max was not interested in what he might have planned.  He was a good friend, but she wasn’t into him romantically.  He didn’t seem to get that, though.

“It closes this weekend for the winter!  This is a travesty!”

“Warren, I think you’ll live,” Max teased. 

“But Max…”

“Maybe you could go with someone else?”  Not that she meant to pawn him off on another, but it might keep him from whining quite as much.  And, as she thought of the alternate timeline within a timeline where she saved William’s life, she knew who to suggest.  “Maybe you could go with Stella?  I know she was interested in seeing what they’re showing.”

“Stella?”  He asked, confused.  “I mean, maybe.  I’d still rather go with you.”

“Yeah, but that’s not going to happen.  I _could_ sneak off campus, but…”  If it was Chloe, she’d be off campus in an instant, and her partner in crime would already have her busted out.  But now?  An excuse to stay in and hide from everything sounded almost welcome. 

“I get that,” Warren conceded glumly.  “You don’t want to get any more trouble.”

“Principal Wells threatened to take away my scholarship.”

“Shit, Max.  That’s just…”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it’s not like we can’t have another movie night sometime,” he suggested. 

“That would be fun to get everyone together again,” she replied.

“Yeah.  With everyone, absolutely.”  Clearly not what he had in mind.

“Warren, I’m sorry, but I’m going to head back to my room.  I’ve got to get it all cleaned up and I just want to take a breather from everything.”

“No worries, Max.  I get that.  We’ll catch up later?”

“Absolutely.  She smiled.

Warren saluted and walked away, leaving Max to proceed to the dorm.  There were few people out and about, but those that were nodded at her or gave her thumbs up, along with encouraging words for ‘smacking down that bitch Victoria.’ 

Max didn’t want Victoria to be completely hated.  But in this timeline, man, was she just pushing her luck way past the boundaries.

As she climbed the stairs and entered the hallway to her room, Max saw a mass of people outside her room again.

What now?

“What’s going on?”  She called as she raced toward them.

“It’s okay,” Dana said, greeting Max at the door.  “We’re just trying to clean up.”

Max looked around.  Dana, Juliet, Kate, Stella, Alyssa, and many more were cluttered around the room, scrubbing on the walls or delicately cleaning off Polaroid photos.

She couldn’t help but smile.  “Thanks, guys.”

“It was all Kate’s idea,” Stella remarked with a knowing raise of her eyebrows. 

Kate smiled over at Max, but didn’t say anything. 

Stepping carefully across the room and avoiding the people and items strewn about, Max made her way to Kate and embraced her.

“Thank you,” she whispered. 

“You’re welcome.”


	12. Hipster Bullshit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of the graffiti incident with Victoria, Max turns back to photography. One night, she has a conversation with Stella about relationships with their classmates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please look at this fanart a friend made for the last chapter of this fic. Thanks Leah!  
> http://sumomosketches.tumblr.com/post/140100383568/noravalkerie-sumomosketches-quick-fanart-for

The week progressed somewhat more peacefully after that.  There was a pretty clean split between those who supported Max and those who supported Victoria after the graffiti incident.  Neither was totally innocent, but they both had their backers.  And the administration was smart enough to give them detention tasks in different areas of the school, so that they couldn’t inadvertently run into each other and cause more drama during their periods of forced labor.

Blackwell finally managed to find a replacement for Mr. Jefferson, so the Art of Photography class started up again on Wednesday.  Mr. Carson was certainly kind enough, and everyone knew of his work.  He was a good teacher, but it didn’t seem right to sit in that room and listen to a lesson like nothing had happened.  Max and the others tried their best, but everyone, including Mr. Carson, was obviously uncomfortable. 

It was good to get back into the world of photography, though.  Ever since her travels through time, Max had become lackluster in her enthusiasm for taking photos, even if she still took her camera with her everywhere.  How many times had one photograph changed the course of events?  She hadn’t even been interested in taking selfies anymore – truth be told, she didn’t really want to see her own face after what she’d done.

But to be forced to take photographs again came as a relief.  To focus on an image, not to go back in time, but to capture a moment and keep it, unchanging, was a feeling Max had forgotten.  She poured herself into the assignments for Mr. Carson’s class.  Maybe she wasn’t an Everyday Hero, but perhaps she could still be a good photographer.

One Saturday night, instead of partying or drinking like many of the other students (somehow the Vortex Club was still going about their shenanigans), Max stepped outside to take some photos for an assignment focusing on light.  There was probably something poetic about focusing on light when it was midnight and the moon wasn’t out.  Whatever, Max accepted that she was a hipster.

“Hey, Max.  What are you doing out here at this hour?”  A voice called from behind her.  

She turned and smiled, putting a hand on her hip.  “I could ask you the same question.”

Stella shrugged.  “I’m just getting back from the drive-in.”

“Oh, that must’ve been fun,” Max said, pretending to be unknowing.

“Don’t act so nonchalant.  Warren told me you suggested we go together.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Max replied defensively, scratching the back of her head.  “I just thought you… I thought maybe…”

“It’s all good, Max,” Stella teased.  “It _was_ fun.  Warren obviously would’ve rather been there with you, but that’s alright.  He’s a good kid.”

“Yeah, he is.”

“You know, if you wanted to make a move on someone else, you didn’t need to try and set Warren up with someone else first.  I think he’d appreciate being let down honestly.”

“That’s not what I was trying to do,” Max insisted.

“C’mon, Max.  Everybody knows you’re into Kate.  Though with her whole Christian deal I don’t know how she deals with the gay, same-sex relationship thing.” 

Max paused, trying to figure out how to reply.  “Why do you think I’m into Kate?” 

“Do you mean to tell me you’re not?” 

“Uh…”

This was one of those muddled thoughts Max had been putting off for a while.  Kate was a good friend, a great friend, and the only one now that knew what she’d been through.  And she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t thought about her feelings as being something other than just platonic.  But was she going to do anything about that?

Probably not.

Sure, she’d kissed Chloe, but Chloe was… Chloe was different.  Chloe was an ocean with a riptide that drew you in until you couldn’t breathe anything but her.  Kate was more peaceful, like… pfft, something. 

There she went with that hipster bullshit again.

Stella laughed.  “That’s what I thought.  But I get it, I’m not going to say anything else.”

“I, uh, I appreciate that, Stella.”

“C’mon, it’s late.  We should both get some sleep.”

Max nodded, putting away her camera.  She’d had enough artistic nonsense for one day. 


	13. Fear the Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate and Max get together for their weekly tea session and complain about people.

On Sunday afternoon, Max made her way across the hall to Kate’s room.  Having a tea session every week at the same time had become a cathartic ritual for them, even if they still hung out frequently throughout the week.  For a couple hours it wasn’t about homework or Victoria or Arcadia Bay, it was just girls being girls, chatting about this-and-that with no consequences.  And for Max, she’d made enough decisions with consequences for one lifetime.

She stepped up to the door and knocked.  A moment later Kate called, “Come on in!”

Max obliged, stepping into the room.  The kettle was on, sitting on the windowsill, with steam billowing out of it frantically.

“Kate, the kettle!”  Max cried as she rushed across the space to shut it off before it shorted out or exploded or something. 

“Oh no!”  Kate exclaimed.  “I got distracted!” 

“It’s okay.  I think I got it.”

“Phew,” she sighed.

Kate stood and rummaged around in the drawer for her collection of tea bags, picking out one for herself and handing the box to Max for her choice, before pouring each a cup of boiling water.

“Please don’t spill,” Max urged.

“I’ll do my best.”  A moment later she handed Max a mug.

Both girls opened their tea bags and let the flavor steep into the water before sitting in silence for a moment.  Kate put her mug down on the desk and slammed her laptop shut.

“That good, huh?”  Max asked cautiously.  Clearly something was upsetting.

Kate let out an angry sigh.  “People are just… cruel.”

Max stood and stepped over to her, grabbing her hands.  “What happened, Kate?  Are you okay?  Do I need to ‘accidentally’ paint someone’s face again?”

She laughed.  “Not this time.”

“I will, don’t you think I won’t.  Is it Victoria?”

“No, just some relative on social media complaining about how ‘fags and dykes are destroying the world.’”

“Gotta love those types,” Max growled.

“It’s ridiculous.”

“I have to admit,” Max said, “I was kind of curious what you thought about non-heterosexual relationships.  You are pretty devout.”

Kate nodded but rolled her eyes.  “I understand where you’re coming from, but Christianity isn’t inherently homophobic.  People are.  Just because somebody interprets the Bible that way doesn’t mean it’s true.  I mean, the Bible says slavery is good in places too, and it’s not like I believe that.  I can use my faith as a guide but not be blind.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you,” Max replied hurriedly.  “I was just curious.”

“I know, I know, and I’m not mad at you, Max.  Just at… lots of other people.  The people that use God as a reason to hate others.  Jesus preached love.  That doesn’t come with terms and conditions.”

Max couldn’t help but hug Kate again.  There was something so comforting about having Kate’s arms wrapped around her, and a feeling of safety and relief flooded over her. 

“You don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that,” Max admitted as she pulled back.  “You see, I’m bisexual.  I didn’t want to come out to you sometime and have you damn me to hell or something.”

“Max,” Kate said with a smile.  “I understand your concern, but there’s nothing wrong with that.  Not to say that I don’t know people who think it’s a bad thing, but…”

“What, like your aunt?”

Kate cocked her head to the side, confused.

“Shit, I’m sorry.  That’s from a different timeline.  After… everything that happened to you at the Vortex Club, I know your aunt sent you a letter condemning your actions and blaming you for them.  When I was messing with time, I came into your room and saw the letter, and the postcard your father sent, and everything.  I’m sorry I read them, I shouldn’t have.”

“It’s okay.”  Kate nodded slowly.  “I understand.  And you’re not wrong.  She is kind of… she’s one of those people that uses the Bible to hurt people, and that’s not right.  She still blames me for what happened, even though there’s plenty of proof.”  She threw her hands up in the air in frustration.  “And I’m sure if she knew that I was one of those queer people ruining the world she’d love me even more.”

“I’m so sorry, Kate.  My family’s pretty accepting, so I don’t even know what to say.”

“I’m just angry and annoyed.”

“I don’t blame you.  I am too, on your behalf.”

She smiled slightly.  “It took me years to get over the hate.  To understand that it’s okay to not be straight.  God doesn’t love me any less because I can see myself ending up with _anyone_ , not just a man, or for supporting people who don’t subscribe to binary genders, or for letting my faith guide me to _help_ these people instead of hurt them.  I don’t even have it that bad!  But it still…”  As tears started to well up in her eyes, Max brushed them away and took Kate into her arms.

“It’s still wrong.  You’re too good for this world, Kate.”

She let out a small chuckle.  “Alright, c’mon, that’s enough of this.  Let’s have our tea.”

“Our gay tea,” Max joked. 

“Homophobes!  Transphobes!  Fear us!  We come bearing gay tea!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I personally ascribe to the idea that Max is bisexual. I understand that a lot of people have strong opinions over her sexuality, so I understand if you don't necessarily agree with that, but please don't be a jerk about it.  
> Also I've decided Kate is pansexual for this story. We don't have any real evidence of her sexuality, and that's just kind of what I'm going with here.


	14. Weekend Getaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Instead of going home to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families, many students from Blackwell organize a trip to visit Portland for the long weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also please look at another amazing piece of art made for the last chapter <3  
> http://sumomosketches.tumblr.com/post/140840587913/for-noravalkeries-wonderful-fanfic-saving

Usually for Thanksgiving weekend, students would spend the days with their families, eating turkey and giving thanks for everything.  Max couldn’t bear the thought of that.  Being thankful for what?  For a power that devastated the world and left her best friend dead?  Sure, she was thankful for her friends, and Kate, and making sure Jefferson couldn’t hurt anyone else… but she still couldn’t stomach it.

But she was spared from having to celebrate the holiday with her parents. 

Someone decided that it would be fun for the students of Blackwell to take a trip to Portland over that long weekend.  They would go out for turkey on Thursday, but the focus would be on their family of friends and fellow students, instead of their relatives by blood. 

And even if Max still felt disconnected from them, it seemed easier to face than going home.  Winter break would be rough, but that was a problem for future Max.  Even if there was a way out of going home, her parents would never let her.  Her mom almost dragged her home for Thanksgiving the way it was.

Classes ended on Tuesday the 26th of November, much to the enjoyment of the students.  Some elected to skip the class trip and head home, and parents lined their cars on the road outside the school to pick up students. 

It was near a fifty-fifty split for who stayed at the school and who decided to go to Portland.  The whole trip was organized mostly through social media and email, and somehow the students had worked together well enough to make decisions and book hotels and restaurant reservations and everything.  Mrs. Grant had helped oversee the whole thing, and was going to chaperone the trip alongside a few other teachers, but she hadn’t needed to step in much to get it organized.  Everyone was eager for a break, where they could just get away from their lives.  It had been a strange semester for everyone, not just Max.

Early Wednesday morning, those remaining on campus crawled onto the two buses and got settled in for a two hour bus ride.  They’d get dropped off at the hotel and then they were free until their organized dinner on Thursday.  Then, on Sunday morning, they’d get hauled back to Blackwell so they were ready for Monday.  Hopefully they’d have slept off Saturday night’s hangovers by then.

There were enough seats for most students to have their own.  Fitting two of them on the same seat on a school bus with their bags?  Fat chance.  One person would have an ass cheek off the side the whole time.

There was the Vortex Club bus and the ‘everyone else’ bus, which was probably safest, all things considered.  Alyssa had staked out seats at the back of the bus, and waved Max toward her as she climbed aboard.  Even high schoolers wanted those seats.

“Ready to go?”  Alyssa asked as Max plopped down with her bag.

“Oh yeah,” she replied. 

“Same.”

Stella took the seat in front of Alyssa, and Warren sat across from her and in front of Max.  Brooke wasn’t far away, sitting in front of Warren and attempting to get his attention the whole ride, and Daniel spent the two hours trying to get _Brooke’s_ attention across the aisle.  Kate sat behind Max, and was mostly content to sit and scroll through her phone.  Talking over everyone else and the din of the bus was exhausting. 

At one point, she leaned over the seat in front of her to talk to Max.

“Hey, Max.  Check this out.”

“Yeah, what do you got?”  Max turned in her seat to face her.

“I’ve made a list of tea places we should hit up while we’re in Portland.  They’ve got some cool, local cafes.”

“That sounds great.”

“And, you know, it doesn’t just have to be the two of us.  We can bring Warren along too, if you wanted.”  She glanced at him over the two seats.

Max looked his way as well, but he was in the middle of a debate with Stella and Brooke.  “That’s okay.  I don’t think he gets the whole tea thing, to be honest.”

“You don’t have to be a fan of tea in order to go to cafes and eat all their pastries,” she joked. 

“True,” Max laughed.  “But I think it’ll be fun, just the two of us.”

Kate smiled wide.  “Good.”

“Oh yeah?”  Max smirked and raised an eyebrow.

“I mean, you know… I just…”  Despite trying to backpedal, Kate's intent was pretty clear. 

“It’s all good, Kate,” Max responded, putting a hand on Kate’s arm which rested on the top of the seat.

Attempting to calm her blush, Kate added, “I was thinking we could go on Saturday?  Today we won’t have a lot of time, and tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and Friday I think we’re all going to hit up Black Friday sales, and…”

“Saturday is perfect.”

“Alright, good.”

Kate sat back in her seat and Max faced front again.  Stella looked toward Max and gave a knowing look, to which Max replied with a roll of her eyes.

Yeah, okay, she was into Kate.  It’s not like she could really deny it.  Whatever might happen with those feelings, a nice, calm date with her sounded like the best plan Max could ask for.


	15. Sorry for the Inconvenience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The afternoon after getting to Portland, the students head out to explore the area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never actually been to Portland, but I did try to do a bit of research on the area. If I totally messed something up though, please let me know!

A couple hours later, the buses pulled up in front of the hotel they’d booked for the next four nights.  The staff looked hardly eager to have a gaggle of already half-stoned high schoolers.

They were sharing rooms, with four to a room.  They’d all put down three names of people of the same gender that they’d like to room with, and worked it out so that everyone would stay with at least one person they knew.  Max bunked with Alyssa, Dana, and Juliet, while Kate, Stella, and Brooke shared a room with a girl named Maria that they didn’t know before that. 

That afternoon, almost all of the photography geeks headed over to the Portland Art Museum.  Some of the science kids and the skaters went elsewhere, but those with an eye for art were eager to check out their exhibits.  Max was especially thrilled about the Ordinary World temporary exhibit, which focused on American Landscape photography.  For the hours that they were there, none of them started drama.  Their attention was on the art.  It was a pleasant change.

After the museum closed at 5:00pm and the staff finally managed to kick out the straggling students, Max and a few others navigated public transport to reach the Portland Aerial Tram. 

Once they’d purchased their tickets, they climbed aboard and rose up into the sky.  The sun was starting its descent and the reds and oranges bathed the city in a glorious light.  The art kids were all taking pictures, naturally.

At the top, they explored the upper patios and wandered around, taking countless photos of the surroundings and each other.  Max didn’t even hesitate when taking selfies with her friends or letting others take pictures of her.  She was enjoying herself.  The horrors of what she’d done were gone, at least for the moment.

 The sun dipped even lower below the horizon, casting purple shadows through the streets.  As it descended, the air got even colder, and the winds cut through Max’s jacket.  Still, she stood at the edge.  She couldn’t pass up these colors, no matter how cold she was.  Always take the shot, right?

“Do you ever stop taking pictures?” 

Max took one more photo before sticking her camera back into her bag.  “Sure.  When there’s something else that’s more entertaining.”

Kate chuckled, stepping up beside Max and leaning against the railing.  As she looked down toward the streets below, Max felt nervousness pile up in her gut.

“Kate, I don’t want to be weird, but can you not… just the way you’re… it’s a long way down…”

“Oh, Max!”  She cried.  “I just wanted to look at the view.  I’m not throwing myself over.”

“I know you say that, and I believe you, but…”

Kate obliged, stepping back from the edge and taking Max’s hand.  “I know.  And I thank you for worrying about me.  I know I’m a mess,” she laughed.

“No more so than me.”

Fingers entwined, they watched the sunset for a moment before Kate spoke again.

“Thank you, Max.”  She squeezed her hand.  “You are an angel.  And I am so grateful for you.”

“Kate…”

“Please, let me finish.”  Kate turned toward Max and took her other hand as well.  “You are a bright light in this world, Max.  I am thankful that you found me when you did.  Your compassion, after everything you’ve been through… I can’t even comprehend your strength, and your kindness.  And I… I don’t want this to be weird, but I like you, Max.  Not just in the friend way.”

“Kate, we’re holding hands watching the sunset.  I think we’re past the whole ‘don’t want it to be weird’ phase,” Max teased.

She laughed.  “That’s what I mean.  You can still joke, and make others laugh and smile.  I forgot what it was like to laugh like this, until after they found the Dark Room and you and I started spending more time together.  And I…”

“I like you too, Kate,” Max admitted quietly.  “'Like' sounds so underwhelming there, but I don’t know how else to say it right now.”

“I feel the same.”

 

Do it, Max.  Just fucking kiss her.  You’re literally on top of the world, with a beautiful sunset behind you.  What could be a better backdrop?  Stop hesitating!

 ...

Max, you haven’t kissed her yet.  Both of you just confessed your love for each other, it’s not like she’s going to think it’s unwarranted.  Or at least ask if you can kiss her!  Consent is important!

...

Aaaaand you’re still standing there like an idiot.

 

A moment later, Max managed to shut out that stupid inner monologue and leaned toward Kate.  She was going to do it, she was going for the kiss.  Go Max Go!

“Because of the high winds, we’re going to be shutting down the tram.  Everybody come line up and we’ll get you all down.  Sorry for the inconvenience.”

Max and Kate drew apart, looking away from each other sheepishly. 

“‘Sorry for the inconvenience’ is an understatement,” Max grumbled quietly.

“We’ll make up for it,” Kate replied.

Max replied teasingly, “Is that so?”

“Shush, you.” 

Hand in hand, they walked back toward the tram.  It was a perfect, romantic opportunity, and it was snatched from them.  Max would find something better.  She finally summed up the courage to go in for the kiss – she didn’t want to be left hanging for too long.


	16. Be Thankful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blackwell students celebrate Thanksgiving together and Max continues to be as smooth as ever with her flirting techniques.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I've gotten a little slow at updating - I will try to do better, I promise! But to make it up to you, I'm going to try and get the next chapter out tomorrow :)

Someone had brought along some game consoles and took over a room for a massive Super Smash Bros tournament.  Which went about as well as expected.  No one died, which was a plus, but there was a _lot_ of yelling and a few punches dealt.  Max managed to evade the altercations, and sat far enough away that she could just watch the chaos without getting drawn into it.

Eventually the hotel decided that enough was enough and forced everyone to go back to their own rooms and be quiet, for the love of god.  By the time everyone returned to their own rooms and got calmed down enough to sleep, it was almost sunrise.

Max slept soundly, even with Alyssa sprawled across the bed.  Given that they’d stayed up all hours, it was almost time for their mid-afternoon Thanksgiving dinner by the time she awoke. 

They had to dress somewhat presentably for their dinner.  For some of the guys it meant _maybe_ wearing a collared shirt with jeans, though a few did legitimately dress up.  When she was packing, Max had a hard time picking out clothes for the event –her first outfit was accidentally the same one she wore to San Francisco for the Everyday Heroes contest in that one timeline that seemed so far away.  She couldn’t do that.  She just shoved it to the back of her closet and picked out something else.

Everybody met in the lobby once they were ready, so that together they could walk to the restaurant together.  Max couldn’t help but stop in her tracks when she saw Kate.

Kate wore a simple purple dress with a sweater.  It was nothing fancy, but she was gorgeous. 

 _Say something nice, Max._   Her mind screamed.  _Tell her she’s pretty.  Tell her she looks good, or that she looks beautiful, literally anything._

“You, uh, you look… good?”  Max finally stammered out when she approached her.

 _Nice one_.

“Thanks,” Kate giggled.  “You look nice too.”

Fuck, she was so cute.  Why did everything get weirder and more complicated after admitting they liked each other?  If Kate already liked her, as messed up as she was, Max didn’t really have to worry.  Unless, of course, she continued to be that smooth.

“Thanks.”  Max scratched the back of her neck.  One of her many nervous ticks. 

Before Max could manage to embarrass herself further, the group decided it was time to head out and together they walked to a nearby restaurant that was open for dinner.  Even though they’d made reservations early enough, no one there was happy to see dozens of high schoolers enter.  But everyone was split up at different tables, so they couldn’t be obnoxious.  At least, not _too_ obnoxious.

Dinner went well enough.  Wowser, the turkey was sooooo good.  Max ate so much she was afraid someone would have to roll her back to that hotel. 

That night, a few people ventured around outside with their cameras to take pictures of the area while few others were out and about.  By the time they got back to the hotel, they only had a few hours of sleep before getting up early for Black Friday shopping.

Brooke had insisted that she had to be there at the opening for one of the tech stores in order to get a special part for her drone.  Since that store also had equipment for old vintage cameras, Max agreed to go along.  She could do with a set of tiny tools in case her camera was broken again, plus some more film.  Alyssa, Stella, and Kate also tagged along at the break of dawn.

After spending almost all day Friday shopping the sales, the girls made their way back to the hotel to drop off their purchases.  Before they got far, someone stopped them.

“You ladies coming out tonight?”  Warren asked, darting over to them as they entered the lobby.

“What are you talking about?”  Max asked.

“Some of the guys found a club a couple blocks away, and we’re all going to hit it up.  Apparently they’re not particularly strict about their alcohol policies, if you know what I’m saying.”

Max glanced at Kate as she crossed her arms and shivered.  Going and hanging out where everyone was drinking couldn’t possibly be a good memory for her.

“Yeah, I’m in,” Alyssa remarked, and Brooke nodded.

“Awesome, yeah?”  Warren replied.  “Meet us down here about nine and we’ll all head over.”

As the group meandered toward the elevator to return to their rooms, Warren addressed Max. 

“You’re coming too, right?”

“Uh…”  She muttered, looking over at Kate as she stood to wait for the elevator.  “Maybe.  I’m not sure if I’m really in a partying mood.”

“You should come,” he urged. 

“I’ll think about it.”

“Okay, that’s all I can ask for.  See you later, anyway.”

“See ya.”

Part of Max thought it would be fun to go out dancing.  Getting a little wasted might help too, take her mind off of things.  But it also reminded her so much of the End of the World Party.  Trying to do the right thing had gotten Victoria captured and killed, while everyone else just partied in ignorance.  And what about the Vortex Club party where Kate had been drugged?  Or Chloe? 

The other girls had held the door of the elevator for Max, and now she stepped in beside them.

“You coming with tonight, Max?”  Brooke asked.

She shrugged.  “I don’t know.”

“You should.  It’ll be fun.  You’ve been tense since, like, October.  You need to loosen up, and alcohol always helps.”

Max let out a noncommittal grunt as the elevator signaled they’d reached their floor.

Brooke, Alyssa, and Stella stepped back into the rooms and, once they were out of sight, Max turned to Kate. 

“Are you going out?  Maybe it’s bad of me to assume, but I can’t imagine you would want to after…”

“Yeah, I can’t say I’m eager to go party.  Especially when I’m sure Victoria and all them will be there too.  But I don’t want my life to be defined by that one event.  I’m more than that, I have to be.”

“You are, Kate, you’re so much more than that.”

She smiled weakly, then continued.  “Now I know to keep an eye and a hand on my drink at all time.  Do you want to go?”

“Kind of,” Max admitted.  “If you’re going, then I probably want to go more.  If you weren’t going, I’d stay behind with you so you wouldn’t feel so left out.  I mean, unless you didn’t want me hanging around…”

_Still the master of smooth, Max._

“I appreciate that.  But we can both go and see how it goes.  If we get uncomfortable, we can leave.  Sound good?”

Max nodded. 

Kate grabbed Max’s hand and squeezed it gently.  “We’ll be alright, Max.  We’ll make it through this.”

“Together.”


	17. End of the World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and the other students head out to the club, hoping to have a fun night, but a face from their past makes an appearance as well.

After grabbing a quick bite to eat at a nearby restaurant, the girls started to get ready to go to the club.  Four girls fighting over mirror space in a hotel bathroom went about as well as it could, all things considered.

Max hadn’t brought an outfit for clubbing.  Dana tried to loan her some clothing, but she was content with a pair of jeans and a tank top. 

A little before nine, they met some other students in the lobby to wait for the remaining stragglers.  Kate wasn’t anywhere to be seen.  Maybe she had ducked out?  Max couldn’t really blame her.

“I’m glad you’re coming along, Max,” Warren said as he sidled up beside her.

“We’ll see how it goes,” she replied.

“I know you’ve had a rough semester.  You deserve one night of partying.”

She nodded.  “Yeah, I really do.”

“Probably more than one night,” he teased, and Max laughed. 

A little later, the elevator dinged and several more students emerged, including the members of Kate’s room.

Max had never seen Kate with her hair down, only ever in a bun.  She looked good, a different kind of beautiful from usual. 

Kate stepped over to Max and took her hand.

“You doing okay?”  She asked.

Max nodded.  “You?”

“So far, so good.” 

Warren glanced at their hands and then awkwardly tried to break the moment.

“I’m glad you decided to come out too, Kate.”

It didn’t minimize the awkwardness at all.

As Max glanced around the lobby, she noticed a few faces were missing. 

“Are Victoria and Courtney and them not coming?”  Max asked. “I wouldn’t expect them to miss out on something like this.”

Warren shrugged.  “Maybe they’re just boozing it up in their room?  Or maybe they’ve already gone over there?”

“Maybe.”  A shiver ran down Max’s spine.

Shortly after, the group took to the streets.  The club really was only a few blocks away, and was having a special Black Friday discount on entry, ideal for broke students.  They still had to wait in line though.  Why did club lines take so long?  Sure, they were checking IDs, but the bouncers didn’t care; everybody got the stamp saying that they were over twenty-one.  Hopefully there weren’t any undercover cops there, or they would bust a ton of underage drinkers.

As far as clubs went, this one was pretty clean.  Of course, it was still filthy and full of sweaty people, but it was better than it could have been.  And the DJ actually knew what they were doing, they didn’t just crank the bass and do nothing else. 

Wow, pretentious alert.

The group splintered off into smaller clusters almost immediately, and Max found herself near the bar at a small table with Kate, Brooke, and Daniel.  Daniel was watching Brooke, and Brooke was watching Warren, and Warren was dancing with Stella. 

Max hit Daniel’s arm.  “Just ask her to dance.”

“What?”  He said, leaning in closer so he could hear Max.

“Ask her to dance!”  She said.

“I still can’t hear you.”

“ASK HER TO DANCE!”  Max yelled.

“What?”  Brooke asked as she overheard Max’s screaming. 

Max sighed.  Loud music wasn’t ideal for conversations. 

But Daniel finally acquiesced.  “Brooke, you want to maybe dance?” 

“Yeah,” she replied after a moment.  The two of them headed off to the dance floor where they took their places near some other students.

“How about you?”  Max asked Kate.  “Want to dance?”

“We are at a club, right?”  She smiled and took Max’s hand, pulling her toward the dance floor.  Together they joined the group and showed off their bitching dance moves.  Okay, Max didn’t claim to be a great dancer, but she could still shake her bony white ass.

After a while, Max, Alyssa, Stella, Warren, and Kate decided to take a breather and grab some drinks.  All but Kate elected for one of the alcoholic variety.  They crowded around another table to chill and sip their drinks.  Between the music and the alcohol, Max could feel herself loosening up and starting to move past the events in her past.  At least, for a moment.

“Look what we have here,” Victoria said as she strutted up to the bar. 

Max rolled her eyes.  Of course she would be here. 

“Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Well, you know, the club just wasn’t the same without you here,” Max sassed.  “I didn’t think you would come slum it with us here.”

“Why, because I didn’t wait in line with all you sluts?  Please.  I got to skip the line.  VIP, bitch.”

Alyssa snorted into her drink.  “So you sucked some bouncer’s dick to get in VIP?  You know, whatever works for you.”

“Oh, please,” Victoria replied as a person stepped up beside her.

Everyone around the table drew back in fear.

Nathan Prescott.

“The fuck is he doing here?”  Max asked the table. 

Warren shook his head.  “I thought he was in jail.”

“Maybe he got out on bail?”  Stella suggested.

“I feel like we would’ve heard about it.”

Kate just watched him.  Her face looked calm, but her eyes held a rage Max didn’t know she possessed.

“Oh, what, aren’t you happy to see your former classmate and owner of our precious little school?”  Victoria said to the group as she and Nathan turned toward them, drinks in hand. 

“Everybody hold onto your drinks,” Kate urged, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in jail?”  Max cried.  She just couldn’t believe it.  Even if he’d been manipulated by Jefferson, it didn’t change what he’d done.  And as much as Max blamed herself for killing Chloe, Nathan was the one that pulled the trigger.

“Pfft.”  Nathan rolled his eyes.  “My family might be under investigation, but that’s not stopping my father from using our money to get me out of jail.  They can set bail as high as they want, and we can still afford it.”

“Why didn’t we hear about this?”  Alyssa asked.

“Father kept it on the hush hush.  Can’t let me cause more of a scandal than I already have.”  He knocked back his entire drink.  “He sent me to some junk rehab place up in Washington.  But Vic let me know you were throwing a party down here, so I busted out for the weekend.”

Victoria threw her arm around Nathan's shoulders and added, “It wasn’t the same getting high and wasted without him around.”

“That’s great, give the kid in rehab drugs,” Max groaned. 

“It’s your stupid punk bitch friend that got me into this position in the first place,” Nathan snapped, pointing aggressively at Max.

Sure, he confessed to what he’d done, but Max was still a witness to what happened in the bathroom.  They’d passed each other in the police station after Chloe had been shot, and there was a blank rage in his eyes that was replicated again now.  He was still high, and it wasn’t doing anything positive for his temperament.

“Just go away,” she insisted.  “Please.”

Liquid started dripping from her nose and Max brushed it away.  Blood.

Why did she have a nosebleed?  She hadn’t had a nosebleed since her days messing with time.  The idea that it could just be a normal, nonmagical nosebleed barely even occurred to her.  It didn’t feel right.  Did just seeing Nathan again cause this?  Was it some karma for letting Warren beat the shit out of Nathan in another timeline when she could have broken up the fight?

She stood up from the table, attempting to stopper the blood pouring from her nose and stepped toward the bathroom.  Her head was dizzy as she stumbled down the hall, before falling into the women’s bathroom.  She soaked up the blood with paper towels and scrubbed at the stains on her face with water. 

The music was still loud enough in the bathroom that Max didn’t hear the door slam open. 

“Did you think you could run away, bitch?”

“What are you doing here?”  Max yelled as she turned to face the other person, her vision spinning before her eyes as she supported herself against the sink.

“You knew Chloe.  You know what I did to Kate.  You’ve been telling people other shit about me, and I can’t say that I’m happy about that.”

“What does it matter?  The police already know what you’ve done.”

Nathan huffed, pushing open bathroom stalls to ensure they were alone.  “I don’t know what makes you think you’re so important and entitled, but you’re just as dumb as your friends.”

Before Max could reply, there was a gun in front of her.

“Where did you get that?”  She cried as she stumbled backwards.  “Nathan, you don’t have to do this.  Jefferson manipulated you, and so did your father.  Please, just put the gun away.”

“Don’t tell me what to do!”

“Nathan, I don’t… why are you doing this?”

“What makes you think you know all about me?  The police haven’t published all the reports.  How do you know all of that?”

His face twitched with rage as he continued.  “My father has been telling me what to do my entire life.  Jefferson told me what to do.  That bitch Chloe told me what to do.  And how did that work out for all of them?  How do you think it will work out for you?”

“You’re better than this, Nathan, please…”

Max felt the shot burrow into her stomach.  As if it would stop the blood flow or the pain, she held her hands over the wound as she slumped to the floor.  Her vision faded in and out as the bass beats faded into nothingness.

Before Max fell unconscious, her last thought was of Chloe and her final moments.  Partner in crime and partner in time – they both ended up the same way, bleeding out on a bathroom floor. 


	18. Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate waits for some news on Max's condition.

“Female, aged 18.  Name: Max Caulfield.  Apparent gunshot to the abdomen.  Clear internal bleeding, high blood pressure, difficulty breathing.  She remains unconscious.”

…

“The blood that filled the abdomen has been removed.  Bullet identified in upper portion of stomach.  No other wounds found.  Possible peritonitis or sepsis may occur.”

…

“She’s starting to bleed again from the wound in the stomach.  Need to clamp that down to stop blood flow.”

…

“Breathing is slowing… she’s not breathing!  Get some oxygen in here!”

…

“Damnit, we’re losing her!  We’re losing her!”

…

 

Waiting.

Kate sat in the waiting room, blood on her clothes. 

Waiting. 

She needed some news.  Something, anything.  Anything was better than not knowing. 

At least she wasn’t alone.  Several other students sat with her.  But they were either asleep or they sat in silence. 

Waiting. 

Kate spent most of the time praying.  She couldn’t perform surgery or fix a gunshot wound, so it seemed the best thing she could do.  If God did anything, listened to her only once, she prayed that He would save Max.  Let her live. 

Max had saved her life by coming back in time, and even after that.  If Max hadn’t reached out to Kate, hadn’t been there for her… she shuddered.  She didn’t want to think about that.  Not now. 

When she saw Max run to the bathroom with blood dripping down her face, Kate’s first thought was to race after her.  But when Nathan moved that direction too, she decided the best thing she could do was inform the bouncer that something bad was happening in the bathroom.  Maybe it would be a false alarm, but she couldn’t take that chance. 

And when she led the bouncer that way, she arrived in time to see Max slumped against the wall with blood leaking from her abdomen and Nathan with a gun in his hand.  For a moment, he seemed confused on whether he would shoot again – either at the bouncer and Kate, or himself. 

In the time it took for him to decide, the bouncer moved swiftly across the floor and took the gun from his hand.  Nathan didn’t even resist.

Yelling in his radio, the bouncer called for backup and an ambulance.  As he did, Kate ran to Max, falling to the floor beside her.  She wasn’t conscious, but it still looked like she was breathing.  Kate pressed her hands over the wound, trying to stop the blood flow.  That was helpful, right? 

She didn’t know what to do.  She just wanted Max to be okay.  To be alive.

Kate’s tears mixed with the blood and grime on the bathroom floor as the paramedics arrived.  One gently pulled her away and stood her to the side, while telling her… something.  Kate didn’t even remember. 

Next thing she knew, Max was carted out on a stretcher and the police dragged Nathan out, handcuffed.  Other police officers were filing people out of the club to collect their statements, and one took Kate’s testimony alongside Alyssa, Stella, and Warren.  Someone gave her a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders.  She wasn’t cold, but it felt better to wrap it around herself, pulling it tight as if to shut everything out. 

It was all fuzzy, but she remembered going up to a police officer and explaining that she and the girl that had been shot, Max, they were… they were something, they were together… and she wanted to go to the hospital.  She _needed_ to go to the hospital.  She had to be there.

The officer helped Kate into the back of their cruiser and drove her to the hospital, before leaving her there alone. 

Waiting.

A little while after, familiar faces arrived in smaller groups, and took seats around Kate in the room.  Even if they didn’t know Max that well, they wanted to be there.  They _needed_ to be there. 

Waiting.

People started to nod off.  Someone stole pillows from elsewhere in the hospital, and students piled up next to each other to fall asleep.  But Kate couldn’t sleep.  She watched the sun rise through the window. 

Waiting.

Waiting for news. 

Waiting to hear that Max was alright.  That she would pull through.

She had to.  She _had_ to.

 

“Kate Marsh?  Would you please come with me?”


	19. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate finally finds out Max's condition.

Eyes looked around the room and several students awoke from their slumbers as Kate stood and followed the nurse back further into the hospital. 

“I’m Kate Marsh,” she said weakly. 

“About your friend, Max…”

Kate had held it together until then.  But the way the nurse spoke, it sounded so bad.  She couldn’t hear the words come out of their mouth. 

“Oh, God, she’s dead, isn’t she?”  Kate sobbed as she doubled over, tears pouring down her face.  “God, no.”

“Miss, no.  Max is going to be fine.”

“What!?”  Kate snapped back upright and her tears stopped.  “She’s fine?”

“It was touch-and-go for a while there,” they admitted.  “But she pulled through.  She’s going to have to stay under our care for couple weeks at least, until we make sure there won’t be any more internal bleeding and that the infection is taken care of.  It is-”

Before they could finish, Kate engulfed them in an embrace.  The tears that she cried were now of happiness, not despair. 

“I’m sorry,” she said and pulled away from the nurse.  “I just… I’m so happy she’s alive.”

The nurse smiled and put their hand on Kate’s shoulder.  “Don’t worry.  I’m glad to deliver good news.”  They led Kate further down the hallway.  “Max woke up just a bit ago from the surgery, so she’s still somewhat groggy.  I believe the first things she said when she woke up were, ‘Where am I?’  ‘Why do I feel funny?’ and ‘Where’s Kate?’”

Kate chuckled.  That sounded just like Max. 

“Can I see her?”  She asked.

The nurse stopped beside a door.  “Go ahead.  She’s right inside.  But, like I said, she’s still going to be a little off from the surgery and the anesthesia, so take it easy on her.”

“I will.  Thank you.  Thank you so much.”

Max rested in a propped-up hospital bed, surrounded by tubes and beeping machines.  She flopped her head toward the door as she heard it open. 

“Kate!”  All of the lethargy left her eyes and a smile stretched across her face.

Kate rushed toward her, stopping just before she embraced her.  “Can I hug you?  I don’t want to hurt you, but I really want to hug you,” she laughed through the tears.

“I think so,” Max admitted.  “Just keep it up by the shoulders.  Don’t poke me in the stomach or anything,” she joked.

“Okay, good.”  Kate wrapped her arms around Max’s shoulders and held her close.  Max’s fingers dug into Kate’s sweater as the blanket she’d been wearing fell to the floor.

“Shit,” Max said as they finally pulled apart.  “Kate, you’re covered in blood.”

“I mean, you did get shot.”

“One of the doctors said you went and got help right away and called the ambulance.  If it weren’t for you, I probably would have bled out.  Apparently the bullet cut a hole in my stomach and if it they didn’t get to it in time the stomach acid could have eaten away at my organs.  Which is just really gross when you think about it.”

Kate chuckled.  Max had been shot and almost died, but she was commenting on how stomach acid was weird. 

“Can I…” Max continued as Kate took a seat beside the bed, holding Max’s hand.  “Can I ask what happened to Nathan?”

“He’s with the police.  A bouncer got the gun away from him and the cops came soon after.”

Max nodded solemnly.  “Do you… I had a nosebleed when I saw him again.  I had nosebleeds all the time when I used my rewind power in those alternate timelines.  I haven’t had a nosebleed since then, since Chloe died.  I don’t know why it happened.”

“Maybe stress?  Seeing him again after everything couldn’t have been easy on you.”

“Maybe.”  Max wasn’t convinced.  “But it makes me think.  You saved me from bleeding out by just getting help, calling an ambulance.  If I’d done the same, if I’d run to get help instead of messing with time, do you think I could’ve saved Chloe?  Without fucking over Arcadia Bay?”

Kate let out a long exhale.  “I don’t know, Max.  I know that doesn’t help.”

“Yeah, there’s no way to know.  But I can’t help but wonder.”

“I get that.  I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?”  Max asked with a smile.  “You saved my life!  You are a saving grace, Kate.  I’d be dead without you.”

“Don’t- don’t say things like that,” Kate insisted, shaking her head as the tears came back.  “I don’t want to think about it if you’d… if you’d…”

“Shh.”  Max wiped away Kate’s tears and rested her hand against her cheek.  “We’re here now.  You did say we’d make it through.”

“Together.”

Before anything else interrupted them, Kate leaned down toward Max and kissed her.  Max’s lips were chapped from the breathing tube they’d had to use during surgery and Kate’s face was still wet with tears, but they didn’t care.  No one would take this moment from them.

Several moments later, they pulled apart.  Then Max laughed.

“It’s not quite the same as a first kiss in front of a sunset.”

“Max, I legitimately do not care at this point,” she chuckled.  “As long as I get to kiss you.”

“Good thing I didn’t die,” Max remarked.  “I would’ve been pissed if I died before I got to kiss you.”

Kate shook her head and smiled at Max’s antics, before leaning in for another kiss.  Even with the machines beeping and whirring around them, they wouldn’t let them serve as an interruption.  Not this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I want to thank everybody who has read this up to this point and left their kudos and comments, it's been really helpful and inspiring for me as a writer, and I really appreciate it.  
> But I want to know if you want me to keep going. This is obviously a moment of happiness for them, and I could finish the work here. I do have ideas for the future if I were to keep writing, with them having to testify in court against Jefferson and Nathan, finalizing college plans, and facing Kate's family, where not all are accepting of a relationship between two girls.  
> So please leave a comment letting me know if you want me to keep writing. If not, that's cool, everybody loves a happy ending, but I would also be happy to keep going.  
> Again, thank you to everyone <3  
> EDIT: To everyone who's commented that they would like to read more, thank you so much. It means a lot to hear that you've been enjoying it and would like to see more of these two. So I will continue, probably just adding on here. You're going to have to give me a couple days to get my ideas sorted out so I know where I'm going from here, but I'll try not to keep you all waiting too long :)  
> 


	20. Visiting Hours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is still confined to the hospital after the shooting, so her family and friends pay her a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while, but I'm back! I hope you all enjoy :D

Kate was content to stay at the hospital with Max until she was well enough to leave, but Blackwell issued a rather abrupt departure for all of the students on the Portland trip, calling them back to campus immediately. So Kate and all of the other travelers were loaded onto the buses and taken back to Arcadia Bay, while Max stayed behind, still confined to her bed.

There were complications with her surgery, the doctors told her. Something about the stitches possibly not holding right and a fear for more internal bleeding. So she had no idea when she might get released from their care.

Ms. Grant had called Max’s parents immediately after the shooting, and they’d showed up the very next day to check on their daughter. They both fretted, but the company was nice. They took the time off from work and stayed in a hotel so that they could be with Max as long as she needed them. Or more, that they needed to be there for her.  
Blackwell was rather accommodating about the whole thing. Principal Wells gave the okay for Max to continue taking classes over Skype, so that she could still participate in lectures and keep up with the material. Skype wasn’t the greatest tool, but it did the trick. Between the lectures she managed to hear over the shitty connection and the notes her classmates sent, she could figure out what was going on. Though she would be lying if she hadn’t claimed a network problem when she ‘accidentally’ missed out on Science class. Sleep was way more important.

Principal Wells seemed very apologetic about the whole situation. Which was obviously nice, but it was clear he felt guilty. He’d taken Prescott money for how long, overlooking all of Nathan’s offenses, and Chloe had died from it. Now Max almost fell as another victim? Shit was messed up, and at least he acknowledged it. The least he could do is set up Skype classes and come up with a way for Max to take her finals remotely, since it was likely she still wouldn’t be out of the hospital in three weeks’ time.  
The hospital had doped her up on some pretty heavy duty painkillers, so Max was drowsy most of the time. Also, they decided that, until they knew for sure that her stitches would hold, she wasn’t allowed solid food. Just popsicles and smoothies full of vitamins and nutrients or whatever. They tasted like garbage. All Max wanted was a hamburger. She would’ve settled for half a cold burger at this point. But no one would get her real food. Even her parents refused. Unacceptable.

Around noon on Saturday, Max awoke to the buzzing of her phone on the table that hung over her bed. Groggily she checked it out – after inputting her passcode wrong four times – and found a text from Kate. Max had been keeping up with all her friends over text and Skype and FaceTime, but she still smiled whenever she got a message from Kate.

“How are you feeling?” It read.

“Ugh, you woke me up :P”

“Well you’re awake at least. That’s a good sign :P”

“I am awake but at what cost?”

“You’re so dramatic”

“You love it”

“Keep dreaming”

":(((((“

“just kidding you know I love it”

":))))))”

Kate didn’t reply to that, so Max decided to start playing some games on her phone while she waited for a response. However, she received none, and instead, suddenly several people burst into her room.

“Surprise!” They all yelled.

Kate, Warren, Stella, Alyssa, Brooke, and Dana all crowded around Max’s bed, smiles on their faces.

Max grinned ear to ear. “What are you guys doing here?”

“To check and see how you’re doing, of course,” Kate replied as she took a seat next to Max on her bed.

“And we brought goodies from a bunch of people at the school,” Stella added, holding up the two vases of flowers she carried.

The group briefly dispersed to set up their gifts, placing flowers on the tables, along with dozens of cards. Balloons took over the window sills and Max was covered in stuffed animals.

“I was told I couldn’t eat these,” Warren said as he presented Max with a bag full of candies and chocolates.

Max was overjoyed at first, but then remembered.

“You know, you guys can go ahead and eat them. I’m not allowed to have solid food yet. Something about the stitches in my stomach coming loose?” She pondered for a second as she watched Warren rip open a bag. “On second thought… one won’t kill me…”

“Max, no,” Kate snapped, playfully batting down Max’s outstretched hand. “There’s a reason you can’t have solid food.”

“I just want a hamburger,” Max moaned.

“No.”

“Will someone go buy me a hamburger from the cafeteria in the atrium? I will pay you like a hundred dollars. Just smuggle that shit up here. It’s not going to be the bullet that does me in at this rate, I’m going to die from lack of solid food.”

Kate scowled. “Max, that isn’t funny.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right. Making jokes about my near fatal miss probably isn’t in good taste. But you know what would be a good taste? A hamburger.”

Kate rolled her eyes, but had a smile on her face.

But Max wasn’t finished yet. “Will someone who isn’t Kate go get me a hamburger? One hundred dollars for a small and overcooked hamburger delivered straight to my belly. Any takers?”

“No way,” Dana replied. “I’m pretty sure Kate would stop us before we got very far.”

“Ugh, you guys suck,” Max teased.

“Are you feeling any better though?” Alyssa asked as people took seats around the room.

“I mean, I feel fine. Great even. But I’m pretty sure that’s the painkillers. If it wasn’t for those I’m sure I’d feel like shit. I think they’ve taken down my dose a bit though and I still feel alright, so that’s probably a good sign.”

Everybody nodded, and Kate put her hand over Max’s squeezing gently.

Man, Max missed her so much. They were still communicating and it had only been a week since they’d last seen each other, but it was so different than actually being together physically. Kate’s hand was so warm and soft, and her smile so sweet, and… ugh. How did people do long distance relationships? Max could barely handle a week without Kate.

“So are you two finally together now or what?” Stella asked bluntly. “Did Max barely escaping from the jaws of death push you together?”

Both Kate and Max’s cheeks flushed red.

“Uh, yeah, we’re together now,” Max admitted, chuckling lightly.

“I fucking knew it,” Stella exclaimed. Then she turned to Brooke. “Pay up.”

With a sigh, Brooke pulled a twenty dollar bill out of her pocket and handed it to Stella, who gleefully pocketed it.

“Wait, were you two really betting on whether or not we’d start dating?” Kate asked, amused.

Brooke nodded. “Sure. I said you were both too chicken to confess how you felt about each other even though you’re _obviously_ in love, but Stella said you’d get over it at some point and wind up together. I guess she was right.”

“Damn straight,” Stella said firmly.

“The point is,” Alyssa interrupted, “you two are adorable together, and I’m so glad you’re dating. Finally.”

“What she said,”Dana commented, smiling.

“Thanks guys,” Max mumbled. Then she glanced at Warren.

Everybody knew he was crushing on her. And she didn’t want to make things awkward between them, because he was still a great friend. Just platonically, not romantically.

He caught her glance and shrugged. “I’m happy for you guys too. Am I jealous? Yeah, a little bit, I’m man enough to admit that. But I want you to be happy. You’re my friends, and if you’re happy, then that makes me happy.”

“Thanks, Warren,” Max replied, and Kate nodded her agreement with Max’s statement.

“What is going on here?” Another voice cried as two more people entered the already crowded room. “We didn’t know you were having a party today, Max.”

She sighed. Then proceeded to introduce her parents, Vanessa and Ryan.

“It’s nice to finally meet all of you,” Vanessa said. “Max has told us so much about all of you. That being said, I’m very disappointed that you were all at a 21+ nightclub when Max was shot. I know you’re not old enough to be drinking.” She put on that mom face that instantly made you want to cower in fear.

“Mom…” Max whined as the room went deathly silent.

“I’m just kidding.  You were all still sober enough to help Max get out of there, and that's what matters."

“We’re just glad you all were there with her to help her make it out alive. And to be here visiting her in the hospital too,” Ryan added.

“How did you all get here though?” Vanessa asked. “It’s a long drive.”

“No, we took the train,” Alyssa explained.

“Amtrak from Arcadia Bay to Portland is hella expensive,” Max remarked. “You guys didn’t need to pay that to come see me.”

“Sure we did,” Kate said softly. Shit, there was that cute smile again. Max was weak.

“And I’m guessing you’re Kate,” Max’s dad commented as he noticed the ongoing scene between her and Max.

“Yes, that’s me,” Kate responded. She sent a glance at Max, as if to silently ask if Max had explained their relationship yet, or if they needed to keep that quiet.

“Yeah, they know we’re dating,” Max admitted. “I don’t really remember telling them, but they knew at some point. I blame the painkillers.”

“She was talking nonstop for the past few days,” Vanessa joked. “Then she would immediately fall asleep again.”

“And you’re okay with that and all?” Kate questioned tremulously.

Both of Max’s parents nodded. “We know why you ask, but it’s not a problem with us. Whoever Max decides to date is fine, as long as they take good care of her. And clearly you do a good job of that. You’ve already saved her life,” Max’s dad replied.

“Aww”s went up around the room from the other students and Max blushed again.

“Okay, can we stop talking about this…?”

“I’m sure we can find another embarrassing story to tell,” Vanessa remarked as Ryan went to fetch chairs for himself and his wife.

For the next few hours, everyone sat together and told stories, most of which were about embarrassing things Max had done and how she was a massive nerd. She was hardly thrilled to have her parents tell her friends about the stupid shit she did when she was a kid, but it was all in good taste. Hella embarrassing, but fun all the same.

After a while, Max started to get drowsy again. Those painkillers packed a punch. Everybody noticed, but they didn’t want to make Max feel responsible for kicking them out because she needed to sleep, so the Blackwell students claimed that they needed to get to the train station to get back to Arcadia Bay before it was too late and Principal wells bitched them out for being out after dark, and Max’s parents decided it was time to go get dinner. They didn’t eat in Max’s room; she would claim whatever food they had with them if they did.

Max’s parents said their farewells first, saying how nice it was to meet everyone, and making a scene as they hugged Max before leaving. Max just rolled her eyes.

Then her friends each gave her a hug and filed out of the room, but not before eating the last of the candies sent to Max as get well soon presents.

At the end, only Kate was left.

“Thank you for coming to see me,” Max said. “I don’t think I told you that.”

“You said it like, ten times,” Kate laughed.

“Oh, right…”

“Don’t worry about it,” she replied.

“Are you okay?” Max asked. “This wasn’t quite how I planned to introduce you to my parents.”

“No, it’s alright. They’re very nice. And really funny. I can see where you get your sense of humor from.”

“But…?” Max could tell there was a but coming.

“No, no but. Just, I’m still a little reluctant to talk about, you know, you and me. With our friends it’s fine, because I know they won’t care, but around our families? You can just casually mention it to your parents and it’s fine. I can’t do that. So it was a little uncomfortable at first.”

“I’m so sorry.” Max squeezed Kate’s hand tighter. “I should’ve asked you before telling them about it. I didn’t even think. I’m so sorry.”

“Like I said, it’s alright. Really, it is. Still stressful, of course, but I just hope they liked me.” Her face was squished up with concern.

“Of course they did, Kate. How could they not? You’re a freaking angel.”

She chuckled lightly. “I don’t know about that.”

“Shush. I don’t want to hear any more self-deprecating things coming out of your mouth. You are perfect and adorable and that is fact.”

Now Kate laughed aloud. The painkillers were clearly amping up in intensity. Max’s eyes started staying closed for longer than they were open when she blinked, so Kate decided it was time to let her rest.

“Alright, that’s enough out of you for one day,” Kate teased. “Get some sleep. She stood and planted a kiss on Max’s forehead before stepping away from the bed.

“I love you, Kate,” Max managed to say, her voice quiet with sleepiness.

Kate smiled. “I love you too. Now get some rest.”


	21. Redemption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victoria pays Max and Kate a visit in the hospital.

Over the next week, Max’s condition improved greatly.  She was no longer confined to her bed and was allowed some less mushy food that could almost, _almost_ , be considered solid.  It was still no hamburger, but it was progress. 

Once she was allowed a bit more freedom in the hospital and was recovering well, Max’s parents returned home.  They couldn’t take forever off from work, even if they hated having to leave their daughter.  Since the doctors expected Max to be released in time for Christmas, they wouldn’t have to wait too long to see her again.  

Her classes went as well as they could from miles away.  Now that she could move around, though, she found herself wandering through the hospital with her camera whenever she could.  At first she was hesitant to ask other patients if she could take pictures of them or items in their rooms, but after several noticed her lurking around and invited her in, she didn’t feel so bad about it. 

There were a lot of nice people in the hospital too.  There was the old lady that had fallen down the stairs and broke her leg; the kid in his twenties that had launched a firework off but it went sideways and burned almost all of him; the middle aged person a floor down that had been in a car accident and didn’t know if they would ever walk again but still kept positive throughout it all; and so many more.  Max heard their stories and recorded them in film.

And it was good that she was able to get up and take some photographs.  She’d been going through withdrawals when she was stuck in bed; there were only so many photos you could take of the same things at the same angle.  And Mr. Carson back at Blackwell seemed to like her perspective on the hospital and the situations she described in her photos, so that was always a plus.

Meanwhile, she had also gone through the countless cards and other items that had been delivered during her friends’ visit on Saturday.  To her surprise, even Victoria and her goons had all sent cards individually, and the Vortex Club had sent a card. 

On Friday, while Max was playing games on her laptop, her phone buzzed.  She smiled, expecting it to be Kate.  Instead it was… Victoria?

“You still in the hospital?”

“Yeah.  Why?”

“Can I come see you tomorrow?”

Kate had already made plans to come visit Max again, and, honestly, Max was happier knowing that she would be there if Victoria was coming.  She was friends with Nathan – who knew just why she’d be coming to see Max.

“Sure.  Just don’t come too early”

“K”

And with that, the exchange was over.  Max didn’t know what was going on, but it left her anxious for the rest of the night.  She could hardly stomach the applesauce she’d been given for dinner, though admittedly that was probably caused more by the problems with her stomach wound than her anxiety. 

Max awoke the following day to find someone sitting in the chair beside her. 

“Who?  Wha-”  She cried, trying to sit upright quickly and get a good look at the intruder.

“Max, it’s just me!”  Kate exclaimed as she moved to Max’s side.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Max exhaled with relief.  “Man, you scared me,” she admitted.  “I didn’t know you would be here so early.”

“It’s almost noon.”

“Like I said.”  Max was still doped up on painkillers which made her consistently drowsy.  Or at least that was the excuse she used for sleeping all the time.

Kate laughed, and leaned in to give Max a kiss.  “I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Max replied. 

They sat together for a moment, saying nothing, simply appreciating the other’s presence.  Having Kate beside her was always a relief.

“So,” Kate eventually said, “what do you think Victoria wants?”  Of course Max had immediately texted her after the conversation with Victoria to let her know the Queen Biatch was on her way. 

“You can’t just wait for me to show up?  You have to gossip ahead of time?”

Victoria strutted through the door with coffee in her hand.  Despite her attitude, her demeanor softened almost immediately when she saw Max surrounded by machines and tubes.

“Oh, hey, Victoria,” Max stuttered out, taken off guard by her sudden entrance.

Kate stood and made for the door.  “I’ll let you two talk, then…”

“No, no, stay,” Victoria insisted, waving her hand for Kate to sit back down.  “You both should hear what I have to say.”

Once Kate was seated again, she continued.  “And this isn’t easy for me to say, but it has to be done.”  She exhaled slowly and set her coffee down on a table so she could gesture with both hands.  “And what I have to say is that I’m sorry.”

Max and Kate glanced at each other briefly before Victoria launched off.

“I’m sorry that this happened to you, Max.  I’m sorry that it happened at all, to anyone.  I’m sorry Nathan was there.  I didn’t plan for him to be there.”

“You didn’t?”  Max asked.

“No.  I knew where he’d been sent after getting arrested.  We kept in touch.  It’s not as if I didn’t know there was something going on with him before he shot Chloe, but he seemed to be doing better afterwards, like the treatment was actually helping.  He liked to hear about Blackwell and what was going on with me.  So I mentioned that there was a class trip to Portland.  Nothing more than that.

“But then that weekend I get a text from him, asking where we’re staying, saying he’s ready to party with the Vortex Club again.  And I think ‘hey, I get to see my best friend again.’  You know, they didn’t even let me in to see him after he got arrested?” 

She stared off to the side as she spoke, her voice cracking and getting more labored as she progressed. 

“So I met up with him, with a bunch of our other friends, Thursday night.  We hung out and it was fun.  He was laughing and… he was Nathan.  So when we decided to hit up a club Friday night and he wanted to come along, I thought ‘sure.’ 

“All I wanted to do was hang out with my best friend again.”  She wiped a tear away from her eye before it could fall.  “I should have stopped him when he started drinking and doing drugs again, but I didn’t.  I just wanted to have my friend back.  I didn’t think he would go off the way he did.”

Max and Kate waited until they were sure that Victoria had finished her confession.  The way she was trying so hard not to cry, they couldn’t doubt her sincerity.

But the comment “I just wanted to have my friend back” stung at Max.  She wanted her friend back too.  But hers was six feet under because she’d actually bled out on the bathroom floor when Nathan shot her, and didn’t miraculously pull through. 

That wasn’t Victoria’s fault, though.  And as she started to cry, Max decided not to make a snippy comment about it.

Instead, she simply said, “Victoria.  I believe you.  And I accept your apology.”

“Really?”  Victoria asked.

“Really.  I know what it’s like to lose a friend and try anything to get them back, even if it has serious consequences.  You didn’t know the consequences.  And I’m sorry too, that Nathan did what he did.  I may not have liked him, but this whole thing is just messed.”

Victoria nodded slowly, as if she couldn’t process that Max actually forgave her. 

After a moment, she turned to Kate.  “And I’m sorry to you too, Kate.  For everything I’ve done to you.  Whether you were drugged or not, the shit I did to you after that video went out was horrible.  We ladies have to look out for each other, and I should’ve believed you when you said you’d been drugged and attacked.  None of us deserve that.  Especially not you.”

Kate nodded solemnly.  She was having trouble processing too.

“I know an apology doesn’t make it all better or take away all the fucked up parts.  But I hope it means something,” Victoria said.  “I know it means something to me, to be here and tell both of you, however you respond to it.”

“I forgive you too, Victoria,” Kate replied.

Victoria shook her head with disbelief. 

“You make fun of me for being religious, but part of my faith is a belief in forgiveness and redemption.  That you’re here asking for forgiveness, means that you still have good in you.  And that’s good enough for me.  I mean,” she added, “if you go back to harassing me or Max again then that’s a separate issue.  And I’m still kind of mad about it, but that doesn’t mean I can’t accept your apology.”

“I think my days of being a complete bitch are over,” Victoria said with a small smile.  “Not that I’m instantly going to be nice all the time, but I can try to be a little better.”

“Truce?”  Max offered.

“Truce.”  Again, Victoria addressed Kate.  “You do Meals on Wheels with your church, right?”

Kate nodded.

“With all of this happening, I’ve been thinking about adding volunteering and charity work to the Vortex Club.  Not that we won’t party a lot too, but we might as well give back to the areas we’re trashing.  So do you think we could come help with that?  Or something?”

After suppressing her surprise, Kate smiled.  “I’ll check with the church and text you.”

“Thanks.  And thank you to both of you for listening… and forgiving me.  I don’t know if I could do the same if I was in your place.”

“We all make mistakes,” Max stated.  “And we can’t always go back in time to fix them.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Kate rolling her eyes and shaking her head, a slight smile on her face.  Max couldn’t resist making a time travel joke – they needed something to lighten the mood.

“Okay,” Victoria cried after a pause, “I’m going to leave now before things get even weirder.  Also hospitals kinda totally freak me out.”

“Same,” Max replied.

“So I will see you guys back at Blackwell.  And I hope you feel better, Max.”

“Thanks, Victoria.  And thanks for coming to see me and do this in person.”

“Thank you,” Kate echoed the sentiment, and Victoria nodded her head in acknowledgement. 

Once she had exited the room, Max and Kate turned to look at each other. 

“Well, that was unexpected,” Kate admitted. 

“Yeah.  I mean, I knew she couldn’t be a cold bitch all the time, but this was more than I expected.”

“It’s too bad it took all this for her to see the error of her ways, though.”

“True, but better late than never, right?”

“I suppose.  But if you’d ended up dead from all this, I don’t think I would feel so positive about it.”

Max nodded.  “If you’d ended up permanently dead from all the shit she did to you… I can’t say I was particularly kind to her in the other timeline where you died.” 

“I mean, we’re both here, and safe, so hypothesizing doesn’t matter, I guess.”  She shrugged.  “We’ll just have to wait and see if she stays this way, or goes back to mean, vindictive Victoria.”

“Time will tell.”

Kate lightly smacked Max’s arm.  “You and your stupid time travel jokes.”

Max laughed.  “Comedy – it’s my real super power.”


	22. Home for the Holidays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max is released from the hospital in time for Christmas, and Kate pays her a visit for New Year's Eve. [I'm so sorry it took me like eight years to get back to this!!]

A few days before Christmas, Max was released from the hospital under strict warnings and directions so that she didn’t cause the stitches in her abdomen to rip open before the wound fully healed.  Which meant that Christmas dinner would be pretty damn lackluster, but at least she got to go home.  The hospital was getting _way_ too stuffy for her tastes. 

Her parents were obviously thrilled to have her home and doted on her every chance they got.  For Christmas presents she was given more film for her camera and a bunch more photography gear. 

But as the second semester of her senior year drew near, along with that came the pressures of finding a college.  Sure, Max had already filled out some applications, and even been accepted into a few programs, but she hadn’t decided on anything yet.  It all still seemed so foreign for her to think about college.  It was such a drastic departure from her experiences in Arcadia Bay and the events that had taken place there throughout her entire life.  When she moved away to Seattle, she was running away after William’s death.  But leaving for college?  What was she running away from now?  Would she be running away from Chloe and her memory again?  Or would she leave on her own terms?

It was something Max hadn’t talked about, but she needed to discuss it with Kate.  They might have briefly talked about the colleges and programs they wanted to get into, but nothing more serious than that.  Mostly because they’d just been friends up until recently.  Flirty friends, but friends all the same. 

Now that they were dating though, Max needed to know what would happen when they went off to college.  Obviously, they couldn’t know for sure, but Kate had been such a lifeline for her since the whole week travelling through time that Max couldn’t just let their relationship fall apart due to distance. 

Shit.  Max was such a lovestruck loser for Kate.

Which of course meant that, despite her parents’ constant teasing, Max also invited Kate to come up to her house for New Year’s Eve.  They’d be back at Blackwell a few days afterwards, but Max didn’t want to wait that long.  And she didn’t ever get the chance to give Kate her Christmas present. 

Max’s parents always went out for New Year’s Eve with some of their friends, and Max had usually spent the day either alone or hanging around causing mischief with Chloe in Arcadia Bay or her other friends after moving to Seattle.  She’d certainly never had a date for it before.

Kate had somehow convinced her parents that she was off to a friend’s house for the night; that it happened to be a somewhat romantic night was oddly coincidental. 

When a car pulled up in the driveway, Max raced outside, barely remembering shoes but completely forgoing a jacket.  Kate emerged from the passenger seat, waving at Max and smiling so bright.  Max stepped over to help her and say hello to her father as Kate grabbed her overnight bag out of the backseat. 

“Hello, Mr. Marsh,” Max said politely through the open window.

“Nice to meet you, Max,” he replied with a smile.  “And I’m glad you’re doing well after everything that happened in Portland.”

“Me too,” she laughed.  “Kate took good care of me.”

“And I must say, I’m glad Kate has a good friend in you.  You keep looking out for each other, alright?”

“ _Dad_.”  Kate let out a mock groan, smiling. 

“I plan to,” Max replied.  “And don’t worry about tonight, I have a large stack of movies ready to go, and buckets all set for popcorn.  Nothing too scandalous.  And we’ll drop Kate back off tomorrow.”

“Alright.  Be good, Kate,” he told his daughter.  “Love you.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

Max led Kate up the steps to the front door of her house, where they turned and waved as Mr. Marsh pulled out of the driveway. 

Once they were inside and the last parent was out of sight, they immediately fell into each other’s arms.

“I missed you,” Max whispered.

“I missed you too,” Kate echoed.  It had only been a little over a week since Kate had visited Max in the hospital in Portland, but that was long enough. 

As they pulled out of the embrace, they met for a kiss, before giggling awkwardly and kissing again. 

“How did you convince your parents to let you come?”  Max asked.

Kate shrugged.  “It’s not as if they think we’re up to anything.  Obviously I’m their good little Christian heterosexual daughter, and I’m just off to have a platonic movie night with my friend.  I’ve talked about you enough that my dad for sure trusts you and knows you’re alright.  My mom still hasn’t quite forgiven me about the whole Vortex Club incident,” she said slowly, rubbing her arm and looking at the floor.  “But she’s not going to stop me from hanging out with a friend.”

“A ‘friend,’” Max mocked. 

Kate rolled her eyes.  “Yeah.  I think my sisters know there’s something up between you and me, but my parents have no idea.  And for now, I’d like it to stay that way.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Not quite,” Kate said with a smirk before she kissed Max once more, their tongues meeting briefly.

Max raised her eyebrows at Kate as they pulled apart.  “Your parents would be so pissed if they knew about this,” she laughed.

“Oh yeah.  So,” she said as she turned around to look at the room and the house.  “What _do_ you have planned for the evening?”

“I was completely serious when I said I had a pile of movies and a shitload of popcorn.”

Kate turned back to Max and smiled.  “That sounds perfect.”


	23. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kate and Max celebrate the New Year with movies, selfies, dinner, and their usual ridiculousness.

After showing Kate around the house, she and Max settled in on the couch to binge-watch a variety of movies, most of which were animated Disney movies.  Cuddled together, between bites of popcorn they sang along to the songs.  Occasionally they got up and danced along as well.  (Max knew all the words to High School Musical.  This was a secret she made Kate swear to take to her grave.)  They also took a bunch of ridiculous selfies, both on Max's old-fashioned camera and on their smartphones, as their silliness made for a perfect homescreen image.  

As the night went on, they decided popcorn wasn’t enough to tide them over, so ventured into the kitchen for a proper dinner. 

“What are we having?”  Kate asked as she leaned against the counter.

Max grabbed a pot out from a cabinet, filled it with water, and placed it on the stove.  “I picked up some fresh ravioli yesterday,” she explained as she pulled the bag out of the fridge.  “How does that sound?”

“It sounds great.  What can I do to help?”

“You can stand there and look cute,” Max teased.  “In all seriousness though, I think even I can handle cooking pasta.” 

“Ehh, I don’t know about that.”

“Hey!”

While the pasta began to cook and the sauce was warmed atop the stove, Max also pulled out a bottle of red wine. 

“Do you want some?”  Max asked Kate as she reached for glasses. 

“Just a little,” she answered.

Max poured out a good amount for herself, and a bit less for Kate, before handing her the latter glass.

After taking a sip, Kate remarked, “I trust _you_ not to drug my drink.”

“Kate, you know I would never do anything like that, I-”

“I know, I know,” she said hastily.  “It was supposed to be a joke.  It was a bad joke, I’ll admit, but still.”

“Okay…” Max obliged, still worried. 

“I also trust you to take care of me if I decide to have another glass and get a bit tipsy.”

“Now that’s a better joke.”  Max smiled.  “I promise I will take care of you if you get tipsy from two half-glasses of wine, you lightweight.”

“I accept that,” Kate said with a smirk before taking another sip. 

When the ravioli was finished cooking, they ate their dinner and drank more wine than they probably should have, before deciding to rinse up the dishes and put them in the dishwasher.

Kate stepped up to the sink, insisting that she should wash the dishes since Max had cooked, despite Max’s protestations.  As Max grabbed the dishes and brought them over to the sink, a splash of water hit her right in the face. 

“What was that for!?”  She cried.

Kate couldn’t even respond, she was laughing too hard. 

“Now that’s not fair,” Max said, reaching around Kate to grab the spray nozzle attached to the sink.  “Put ‘em up.”  She aimed the nozzle and Kate put her hands in the air in mock surrender.

But it was too late.  Kate’s actions sparked an irreversible chain of events leading to all-out war.  Max squeezed the trigger and water sprayed out all over Kate and most of the kitchen as well.

She didn’t leave the water on too long, to avoid flooding the entire room, but it was long enough that Kate was drenched.

“Now _that’s_ not fair,” she exclaimed with disbelieving laughter.  “All I did was throw some water in your face, you pulled out a hose!”

“It’s not a hose,” Max insisted.  “But we do have some super soakers somewhere in here…”

“Why don’t we save that for summer?  When we can go outside and not turn your house into an aquarium.”

“Probably a good call.”  Max looked around at the kitchen floor, which had a good layer of water on it.  She put the nozzle back into its holster beside the tap.  “How about a truce?”

“Hmm…”  In a flash, Kate reached back over to the sink and tossed another handful of water at Max, who was completely unprepared for another attack.  “ _Now_ we can have a truce.”

Max looked down at her soaked clothing.  “You know, I probably deserved that.” 

Kate grinned.  “I’ll wash up the dishes, you clean up the floor.”

“Then it’s time for pajamas and fireworks.”


	24. 3...2...1...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally midnight and Max and Kate ring in 2014 together.

After cleaning up the kitchen and getting changed into dry pajamas, the pair crawled into Max’s bed and turned on the TV to watch the celebrations and eventually the fireworks to bring in the New Year. 

Together they counted down the clock until midnight, leaning against each other and snuggling up underneath the covers.  As was tradition, they kissed when the clock hit zero, and they spent the last moments of 2013 and the first moments of 2014 in each other’s arms. 

“I’ve never had a New Year’s kiss,” Max admitted.

Kate shrugged.  “Me neither.  But I think starting 2014 like this with you can only mean good things.”

“You’re so sweet, you know that?”  Max shook her head, then gave Kate another kiss.

“I try,” she replied, laughing.  Then she asked, “When are your parents getting home?”

“Not until morning.  They spend the night at their friends’ house; that way everybody can drink but nobody has to drive.”

“That’s smart.”

“They have their moments,” Max joked.  “But that means we have the place to ourselves for the rest of the night.”

Kate’s forehead scrunched up and she withdrew from Max just a little bit.  “Max… I know we’re dating and kissing and sharing a bed and all, but I still… I’m still not ready for…”

As her voice trailed off, Max realized what she was saying.  “Kate, no!  I’m not trying to imply that we should have sex.”  Shit.  Nicely done, Max.  “That’s not what I was trying to say,” she added more calmly.

Kate let out a relieved exhale and leaned back into Max’s arms.  “Okay, good.  I was worried that, since your parents aren’t going to be home and all…  That you were implying we should take advantage of the time alone and...”

“That’s not what I was trying to say at all.  Not that if you were interested in having sex I would say no, but…”

Kate giggled, a blush rising into her cheeks.  “I still want to wait until I’m married for that.”

“I get that.”  Max nodded.  “I would never force you to do anything you didn’t want to do, you know that, right?  If I’ve ever done something like that, please tell me, and I’m so sorry.”

“I do know that, Max.  And you’ve been great.  I just didn’t want that train of thought to go any further than necessary.”

“And even if you still don’t want to have sex after we’re married I’m okay with that too.”

“I don’t know about that,” Kate said with a sly grin.  “I think I’d like to try it.” 

For a minute they sat in silence, but then Kate sat back upright and turned to face Max.

“Wait: we’re getting married?”

Smooth, Max.  Real smooth.  A+ proposal.

Before Max could respond, Kate added, “If you’re proposing, I want a ring.  Call me selfish, but I want an engagement ring.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Max teased.  “But I don’t think we can do much until the people making the laws get their heads out of their asses and decide gay marriage is okay.”

She groaned.  “True.  Maybe then my parents will be okay with it too.”

Max sighed.  She had no idea how to handle unaccepting parents that didn’t approve of their child’s partner simply on the basis of gender.  It had never been an issue anywhere in her family, and it still surprised her how much hatred there was in the world.  She’d been so sheltered from it, never having to hide who she was from family or friends.  It scared her.  She just wanted Kate to be happy and for her family to be happy for her as well.

“I’m sorry,” was all Max managed to say. 

“It’s not your fault.”

“I know, but I hate that you have to hide this part of you.  You get so sad whenever it comes up and I just… I just want you to be happy.  You make me so happy and I feel so safe when I’m with you,” she admitted.  “I love you, Kate.  And I wish there weren’t people that think that’s wrong.”

Kate’s eyes began to water as she met Max’s gaze, smiling softly.  “I love you too, Max.  And no matter what, we know we’re right.  And, to me, that’s what really matters.”

Max kissed her forehead and Kate settled back into her arms.  They pulled the covers up around their shoulders, getting comfy and warm for the night.

A few moments passed in blissful silence, the only noise coming from their synchronized breathing. 

“I can’t believe you want to marry me,” Kate joked, laughing.

“Oh, shut up,” Max teased back. 

“You want to maaaarry meeee,” Kate sang.

“You know, I think I might change my mind about that.

“Too late.  No takebacks.”

“Damn,” she said in mock seriousness.  “I guess I’m stuck with you.”

“However will you manage?”

“Probably by being happy forever and being amazed at your awesomeness.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Kate laughed, though a pause before speaking made it clear she was touched. 

“You know it.”


	25. Back to School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After winter break, Max and the other students return to Blackwell for their second semester, where they also have the added pressures of college looming in the future.

The next day Max and her dad dropped Kate back at her house.  Ryan was good not to mention anything about a relationship between Max and Kate when they met Kate’s dad at the door, and made sure all references to the two of them were completely platonic.  He’d been warned that Kate’s family was traditional and not in agreement with same-sex relationships, and he did a good job not outing Kate. 

It was easier to say farewell knowing that in a few days they would be back at Blackwell again, where they wouldn’t have to hide being a couple.

Second semester started off without too much trouble.  Of course people were tired and not exactly eager to sit back down in a classroom and study, but there was relatively little drama.  And Max was glad to be back. 

Still, Max felt it was so unfair that she was able to get back up after a gunshot from Nathan, while Chloe was six feet under.  Why the universe wanted Chloe dead so bad, she would never know, but it still pissed Max off to no end.  Walking through Arcadia Bay was almost haunting, as if she shouldn’t be there, or as if she was viewing it from the outside looking in.  She’d gone to the Two Whales a few times to see Joyce, who was overly relieved at seeing Max back and healed.  She couldn’t lose her second daughter, especially not to the same kid.

But being back at Blackwell felt like safety.  Victoria and the Vortex Club certainly didn’t go out of their way to be nice, but the level of animosity had definitely gone down.  They’d even volunteered with Meals on Wheels, working with Kate and her church to pass out food.  The Vortex Club now prided itself not just on partying, but also on being active in the community.  They still partied like crazy, don’t let them kid you, but they just decided to not be pricks all the time.  Even Kate’s blackboard was free of any scathing remarks.

When Max returned to her room, it had been decorated with “Welcome Back!” signs and streamers.  Stella and Warren had organized their own party for Max, to celebrate her being alive and being back at Black-hell.  Whether or not the two of them were a couple was still up in the air.

Mr. Carson still taught photography, and at this point the events of Jefferson were far enough away and separated by a winter break so the class was definitely more at ease.  At this point it wasn’t ‘Mr. Jefferson’s old photography class’ or ‘Mr. Jefferson’s old room.’  Now it was Mr. Carson’s class in Mr. Carson’s room. 

Most of the teachers had taken it easy on Max when she was in the hospital and doing her exams out of school, for which she was grateful.  But it also made it a bit more difficult for her to get back into the groove of going to class every day and studying and handing in homework on time.  Study sessions with other people were a necessity to keep Max focused.

However, as winter started to draw to a close, it also meant that the students’ futures were called into question.  What about college?  Were they just going to get a job out of high school?  An apprenticeship?  An internship?  So many questions and so few answers.  Max had been applying to schools, but hadn’t heard back from any yet. 

One Saturday, she headed across the hall to meet Kate for one of their tea meetings, which were a lot more flirty and physical than they ever used to be.  But they still met for tea every week, where they would just be by themselves; nobody else, no homework, no classes, nothing but them and some steeping hot tea. 

The moment she knocked and opened the door, Kate squealed, running toward her with an envelope in her hand. 

“I got in!”  She cried.  “I got in!”

“Where?  The one in New York?”  Max had known Kate was looking at schools all over the US, eager to get a good degree and expand her horizons beyond the Northwest. 

“Yes!  The School of Visual Arts in New York City!”

Max pulled her close and embraced her.  “I’m so happy for you,” she said quietly.  This was one of Kate’s top schools.  It had a great illustration program, and she’d been in communication with some professors about her specific goals with children’s books. 

Kate quickly pulled back from Max, still holding her hands.  “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?  That’s awesome!”  Max replied sincerely.

“It is, and I’m really happy, but I feel bad being so vocal about it when you haven’t heard back from any schools.”

“Kate, it’s fine,” she said.  “How could they not accept you?  You’re a great student with a bunch of extracurriculars and amazing art.  And if you’re happy, I’m happy, no matter what.”

She smiled back, tears almost visible in her eyes.  “I’m so excited about it.”  She calmed herself a little.  “But there are other schools I’m still considering.”

“Really?  You’ve been talking about this one for ages.”

“Yeah, but New York is really far away, and I know you’ve mostly been looking at schools here on the west coast…”

“Kate, no, do not pick a college because of me,” Max snapped.  “We’ll make it work wherever we end up, okay?  If you want to go to New York for school and I stay somewhere out here, that’s alright.  If time couldn’t keep us apart, I don’t think distance stands a chance.” 

Kate gave a small smile.  “I just worry.”

“I know.  I do too.  Honestly, I’m terrified.  I don’t want to lose you over something as simple as distance.  I can’t lose anyone else,” she admitted quietly, clinging tightly to Kate’s hands.  “But like I said, if you’re happy, then I’m happy, and I’m not just saying that, I really mean it.  I love you, Kate, and even if we spend four years on opposite sides of the country, we’ll come back together afterwards.  And with technology these days, I’ll still be able to annoy you constantly with texts and emails and Skype and all that.”

“I don’t think you could ever annoy me,” Kate chuckled.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to try harder then.”

They both giggled, and Kate pulled Max in for a kiss. 

“I mean it though, there are still other schools for me to consider,” Kate said.  “Nothing is set in stone yet.”

“True.  You have options, while I’m going to be taking the student walk of shame because I didn’t get into any colleges,” Max joked.

“Please, Max.  It’s still early-ish.  You’ll get in somewhere.  With your photos?  They’re so unique.  Just give it some time.”

“I hope so.  Who knows, maybe I’ll be able to follow you out to New York?”

“Did you even apply to any schools in New York?”  She asked.

“No, but like you said, it’s still early-ish.”

Kate laughed.  Sure, Max was terrified that Kate would go off somewhere and forget about her, or that they just wouldn’t be able to make it work being apart.  But with the sounds of Kate’s giggling and the shape of her smile, Max couldn’t be worried about that right then.  All she knew was that if Kate was happy, Max would be happy too, wherever she might be. 


	26. Not Finished Yet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Kate celebrate Valentine's Day in a low key manner and exchange their gifts.

As Valentine’s Day drew near, Max started to get nervous.  What kind of gift should she get for Kate?  Coloring books were great for Christmas, but there was a pressure on this holiday that the gift be overwhelming and romantic and ehhhhh.  Max didn’t even know where to start. 

Jewelry seemed a cop out; every girl got jewelry for Valentine’s Day.  Lingerie was another obvious one, but it’s not like she and Kate were having sex, so that seemed kind of pointless.  A stuffed animal?  Kate said she already had the best animal in Alice, her rabbit, and that meant it probably wouldn’t go over great.  And chocolate was a given, of course she was getting chocolate.  But that didn’t qualify as a whole gift, did it?

Since Valentine’s Day fell on a Friday and they still had classes to go to, Max and Kate elected to spend the evening together in a blanket fort set up in Max’s room, watching dumb videos and cuddling.  They’d ordered pizza, because they were classy like that.

At the end of one video and before they decided what to do next, Max whipped out her well wrapped gift. 

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Kate.” 

Kate blushed as she accepted the present.  “ _Max_ ,” she said sweetly as she started to unwrap it.  Inside was a large heart of chocolate.  “You better help me eat this, I don’t think I can do it all by myself.”

“If you insist,” Max joked.  Then she added, “Open the lid on it.”

She lifted open the lid and revealed a silver necklace with a small angel wing pendant on the end.  Kate’s hand flew to her face as she looked at it with awe.  “Max.  It’s beautiful.”

“I kind of felt like I was cheating, going for jewelry.  But I figured this way, if you wear it, you can remember me even if we’re apart.”

“I don’t think I could forget you, but I’m grateful.  I love it.”  She unclasped it and handed it to Max, before turning.  “Will you put it on for me?”

Max re-latched it around her neck, and gave Kate a kiss as she started to turn back.  “I love you, Kate.”

“I love you too.”

After kissing again, Kate crawled out of the pillow fort and came back carrying her violin case. 

“It seems kind of silly,” she mumbled as she sat back down and removed her violin, “but I wrote you a melody for your gift.”

“You what?”

“I was playing around with melodies one day, and started to put them together, and I made a song for you.  It… it reminds me of you, and you and me together.”

“That’s incredible.”  Max could scarcely believe it. 

Kate tuned her instrument, then sighed.  “Alright, here I go.”

Her bow hit the strings, and the melody started off low, minor, and lonely.  As the chords progressed, there were moments where it picked up speed, like a whirlwind, going up, up, up, before spiraling down and mixing around in the middle. 

Max could identify Portland when it started.  At first it was sweet and melodic, and then it grew dramatic and powerful, before stopping completely.  When she started back up again, the sound was quiet and staccato, before exploding up into a euphony of color and joy.  After that, the sounds were a pleasant peacefulness, steady chords of happiness.  It led upwards again, before ending on an inconclusive note.

Tears had welled up in Max’s eyes as Kate played.  “Kate… I don’t know what to say… that’s amazing…”

“It isn’t finished yet,” Kate admitted.  “Because we’re not finished yet either.”

At this point, Max couldn’t help but cry.  Kate set down her violin and pulled Max in close. 

“Our melody isn’t over yet, Max, no matter where we end up.  I’m not letting go of you that easily.  And I can’t end the song on _that_ note, anyway.”

They both chuckled, and Max pulled away to wipe her face.  “Best present ever.”

“Next year I’ll have to play you whatever I add to it.”

“If you don’t mind me crying again, I think that’s a great idea.”

Kate kissed Max’s forehead.  “Sounds like a plan.”

“Will you make a recording of that?  So I can listen to it other times?”

“Uh, yeah, I can do that.”  She paused, smiling.  “I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it.  My gift seems kind of lame now.”

“Not at all,” Kate insisted, as she felt the pendant with her fingers.  “Thank you for a perfect day,” she added as they snuggled together, pulling the blankets up and wrapping their arms around each other.

“Every day with you is perfect.”

She giggled and kissed Max again.  They stayed pressed together until the morning, refusing to leave the warmth and safety of the other.  They weren’t done yet. 

They weren’t done yet.


	27. Acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max finally hears back from her top colleges, and she and Kate continue to be perplexed about where their futures might take them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so so sorry at how long it's been since I've updated. I spent most of November working on Nanowrimo (national novel writing month). For those of you who don't know, nanowrimo is basically a challenge to write a 50,000 word story over the course of November, so that took up a lot (basically all) of my time. But I finished it! My main characters in that actually wound up with a lot of similarities to Max and Kate, which I absolutely did not expect when planning it out, but it made me all the more eager to get back to this! I hope you enjoy, and I'll try to be better at updating, especially in the new year!!

Coming back from class, Max stopped by the student mailboxes.  Usually they just had fliers from local takeout places or cards from family, but with college acceptance upon them, the students found themselves checking their mailboxes far more frequently.  It was a ritual of sorts to stop by them after classes, and there were often cheers or groans of disappointment that would erupt from the area. 

Max was used to a mailbox devoid of college letters, and expected nothing different this day.  However, three letters with fancy emblems met her and she squealed out in delight. 

Not wanting to be _that_ person who opened their letters right there in the mailroom and either elicited sympathy or caused people to feel worse about their college prospects, Max tucked the envelopes into her bag and raced back to the dorm.  She plopped down on the couch and placed the letters on her lap, taking several deep breaths.

The moment of truth.

Terrified, she opened the flaps on all three without even removing the contents.  What if she wasn’t accepted?  What if they all turned her down?  What if they all said that her portfolio was subpar and they expected more from a student of Blackwell?  These thoughts flooded over her and her hands started shaking.

In her panicked state, Max didn’t hear the knock on the door or notice anyone enter.  However, she was very aware when Kate sat down next to her and let out a happy exclamation.

“You got college letters!”  She cried.  “What do they say?”

Max slowly turned to face her.  “Honestly, I haven’t read them yet.  I’m terrified.”

“Oh, come on!  It’s like pulling off a band aid, either way you’ll be happier to be done with it.  And, I mean, obviously they’re all going to be acceptances, so just do it!”

In Kate’s hands, Max saw two envelopes that had been sliced open.  “You got letters too?  What do yours say?”

“No, no, no, don’t change the subject.  Read your letters and then we’ll talk about mine,” Kate insisted gently.

Max groaned.  “You’re the worst.” 

“I know.”

Unable to put it off any longer with Kate sitting there, Max picked up the first letter and removed the contents.  Her eyes scanned over the text and slowly her face lit up.

“You got in!?”  Kate said, reading her face.

Max couldn’t respond, and instead just handed the letter to Kate.  Really pulling off the band aid now, she just picked up the next two letters, read them, and handed them off to the other girl.

While Max was left speechless, Kate was not.  She let out delighted cries at each notice before chucking the letters to the side and engulfing Max in a hug. 

“I told you you’d get in!  You got three schools right here!  All in San Francisco!”  Most of Max’s schools were in California, but these three… these three were her top schools.  And she’d gotten into all of them.

Max sunk into Kate’s embrace, barely keeping herself from crying from sheer relief.  After several moments, she pulled back and gestured to Kate’s letters.  “What about you?  Where did you get in?”

“California College of the Arts in San Francisco and the Academy of Art University, same as you.  I didn’t apply to the Art Institute.”

“That’s awesome!  I knew you’d get in!”  Max cried.  Now it was her turn to hug Kate.  After a pause, she remembered: “I need to tell my parents!  Oh no, I can’t tell them.  They’ll ask all these questions and I don’t know if I have a single answer to them.”  She held her head in her hands and Kate gently rubbed her back.

“You can tell them later?”  She suggested.  “Once it’s all kind of settled down a bit?”

Max nodded.  “Yeah.  Not now.”  She sat up and looked at Kate, finally calming down.  “I did it.  I got in.”

Kate let out a small chuckle.  “I knew you would.”

Still feeling totally overwhelmed, Max leaned over and rested against Kate.  Part of her couldn’t help but wonder if, now that they’d gotten into some of the same schools, she and Kate would be able to go to the same college?  If they’d be able to stay close and not wind up on other sides of the US?  But she didn’t want to say that.  She meant it when she said that she didn’t want Kate to pick a college because of her.  But the possibility that they could spend the next four years together in the relative freedom of college life?  It would be so nice, so good. 

“I can tell you’re thinking the same thing as me,” Kate whispered.

“Huh?”

“You’re wondering if we’ll go to the same college now, since we’ve both been accepted.”

“What?  I, uh, no!  That’s not what I was thinking at all.  You mean you haven’t accepted the New York visual arts place?”

“No, of course not,” she replied.  “I know the Academy of Art University is one of your top schools, and it’s up there for me too…”

“It _is_ my top school, honestly.”

Kate bit her lip and stared at Max’s selfie wall.  At this point, many of the photos featured her as well.

“I can’t say for sure now,” she said, giving Max’s head a kiss.  “But I can’t deny that going to the same school as you sounds pretty nice.”

“It would be really nice,” Max seconded.

“We still have time to decide and think things over.”

“Right.”

Kate let out a heavy sigh, then put her head in her hands like Max had previously.  “You won’t hate me if I go to a different school, will you?”

“What?  Of course not!”  Max sat up and leaned close to Kate.  “I want you to go where you want, regardless of whether or not I’m there.”

“Part of me says I should go to New York.  They probably have the best program for me.  But also… another part of me wants to be with you and be here on the West Coast and not be miles away from everything I know…”

Without warning, Kate started sobbing. 

“Kate!”  Max hadn’t been expecting that.  She wrapped her arms around Kate and pulled her in close.  “Whatever happens, it’s going to be okay.  Like you said, we still have time to think about it all.  We don’t have to decide now.”

Some time travel might be nice with this.  While she knew her powers were problematic and didn’t even last that long, if she could give Kate the option to see which path made her happier…

She shook her head.  It didn’t matter.  The powers had only gone back a couple minutes except for when she _really_ messed things up with the photos, and regardless, they’d fucked up the world.  That was _not_ what she wanted to do.  Seeing Kate so torn by the decision, though, was absolute agony.

Max leaned forward and kissed Kate’s cheek as she continued to hold her close.  “We have time,” she said again.  “Let’s try not to worry about it right now, yeah?”

Kate nodded, wiping her face.  “You’re right.  I’m just so scared.”

“I know.  I am too.  But, I also know that whether we’re at the same school or if we are across the country, we’re still going to be together.  You and me.  Our melody isn’t done yet, remember?”

Max smiled and was so relieved when Kate sincerely matched the expression.  “Nowhere near done yet.”


	28. Feels on Wheels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max volunteers with Kate for Meals on Wheels, along with many of the Vortex Club members. They also discuss Spring Break plans and family.

When Kate asked Max to join her at Meals for Wheels on Sunday, handing out food with her church, she instantly accepted.  It was a little weird with all of the people Kate knew from church, but soon enough other Blackwell students started coming in. 

Seeing the Vortex Club, mostly still hungover and exhausted from their partying on Saturday night, make their way to a church in order to give out meals to those who needed them was not what Max would’ve expected. 

“They’ve been coming for a while,” Kate said as she noticed Max’s confused gaze.  “Ever since I talked to Victoria about it, after Portland and everything.  Some of them show up every week, others just every once in a while.”

Victoria was even making chit chat with people and… smiling?  Like, a sincere, real smile? 

“I think Victoria feels bad about everything.  And she wants to make up for it.”

Max was going to say something snippy about how nothing could make up for the things she said and did to Kate.  Letting Nathan into the club where she’d been shot was one thing; that was on Nathan, not Victoria.  But the cruelty shown to Kate was so beyond that a bit of charity wouldn’t erase it. 

However, Kate didn’t seem to be so negative about it.  “I appreciate what she’s doing.  If she wanted to make amends to herself, she could’ve done charity anywhere.  But that she’s doing it here with me, with my church… I think that says a lot.  I’ve forgiven her.  Now she needs to forgive herself.”

Max shook her head.  “You’re a way better person than I am.”

“You need to try to forgive her too.”

“I know I do.  It’s just… it’s hard.  After everything she did to you.”

“And I appreciate that, Max, I really do,” Kate said sincerely, squeezing Max’s hand gently.  “But hanging onto that hatred doesn’t help.”

“I know, I know…”  As much as she agreed with what Kate said, it didn’t make it all go away.  And Victoria was a small fish in Max’s hatred pond.  Her hatred for Jefferson and Nathan was never going to vanish.  That she knew.  Not after what they’d done.

Working on handing out food took both girls’ minds off of the dilemma and kept them focused and busy for most of the afternoon, well into cleanup.  As they waited for the bus to take them back to Blackwell, a woman Kate knew from church came up to the pair and started making conversation.  And then came the inevitable question about college.

“You need to decide soon, Kate.  You can’t wait until summer to pick your school,” the woman said.

“I know, Mrs. Jones, I’m narrowing it down.”

“What about you?”  She asked, turning to Max.

“Oh, I…”  Max was startled by suddenly being included in the conversation so directly.  “I think I know.  Probably the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.  For photography.”

“That sounds amazing, dear.  I’m so happy for you.  Both of you will go on to do great things, I’m sure of it.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Jones,” both girls replied as the bus pulled up behind them. 

As they said their farewells and sank into the seats on the bus, Max bit her lip before turning to Kate.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to tell you where I was going first,” she said.  “It just kinda slipped out.  I was planning to tell you.”

“Oh, Max, it’s alright!  I’m so happy for you.  I’m glad you know where you want to go.  San Francisco isn’t going to be ready for you.”  She smiled, lacing her fingers through Max’s as they sat side by side. 

“Thanks.”  Max wanted to ask if Kate had made any progress with her own college plans, but decided not to press it.  Clearly it was already bothering her a great deal, and she didn’t need extra pressure. 

“I have a question though.”

“Sure, what is it?”

“What are you doing for Spring Break?”  Kate questioned.  “It’s coming up in a couple weeks.”

“Oh, I don’t know really…”  Max scratched the back of her head with her free hand.  “I think I was just going to head home.  If I don’t, my parents will never let me go off on my own again.”  Kate chuckled and Max grinned.  “Why?  What are you doing?”

“I’m just heading home too, you know, family.  But… I was wondering if you would come too, maybe just for a few days, you know?  I’ve already met your parents and you’ve met my dad, but I want you to meet the rest of my family.  My sisters, my mom.  Even if we have to put on an act because… I don’t think I’m ready to come out to them yet…”

Max was taken aback, but quickly squeezed Kate’s hand and leaned in a bit closer.  “No, I totally get that!  That’s fine, you shouldn’t have to come out to them before you’re ready.  And I would love to meet your family.”

Kate smiled.  “Really?”

“Absolutely.  They won’t mind though that I’m not… you know… super Christian, right?”

“I mean, if you come on a Sunday, you’ll be expected to go to church, and you’ll get roped into saying grace before meals, if you’re okay with that?”

“I will brush up on my prayers and church customs beforehand, but I can manage that,” Max replied with a smirk.  “I haven’t been to church since I was really little, except for the occasional Christmas mass with extended family.”

“Well, things haven’t changed that much, so you should be okay,” Kate teased.  “And besides, I’ll be there to help you through it.”

“In that case, it’ll be perfect.”

Truly, the thought of meeting Kate’s family terrified Max a bit.  The way her mother reacted after the Vortex Club incident wasn’t the best parental attitude.  But her sisters were obviously very important to Kate, and Max definitely wanted to meet them.  Even if as a platonic friend, Max wanted to be accepted. 

“We can make more definitive plans later,” Kate remarked.  “But I wanted to broach the subject now.”

“Yeah, that sounds great.  Kind of really scary, but good too.”

“They’re not scary.  Okay, my mom is a little scary, but you’ve met my dad.  He’s fine.  And my sisters are a lot like me.  So it’ll be good, I'm sure of it.”

“I know it will be.  I’ll be on my best behavior,” Max joked, puffing out her chest and pretending to look sophisticated. 

Kate laughed.  “You’ll fit right in.”


	29. A Different Sort of Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max makes the journey to Kate's house for the last weekend of Spring Break, both anxious and excited to meet her girlfriend's family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's been a long time, huh? And I am so so so so x 1000 more so's sorry for that. My mental health has kind of been kicking my butt recently but I'd like to think I'm doing a little bit better. I already have the next chapter written, so hopefully it won't be too long a wait for the next update. Again, I'm super sorry for how long it's been, but I hope you forgive me and enjoy!

Spring break was a much needed release for all students at Blackwell, what with AP exams and other tests and projects simultaneously winding up and winding down.  A few months to go before graduation, and it was all a whirlwind. 

But for a few days, Max was back at home in Seattle, safe and sound, where she could easily procrastinate her homework just a little bit longer.  Telling her parents her college plans in person was much easier than text or a phone call.  Plus, having them there to let the Academy of Art University know that she had accepted their offer and would be attending there in the fall was a nice support system. 

On Thursday, however, she barricaded herself in her room save for meals in order to finish all of her work.  The next day she’d be heading for the Marsh’s house, and she didn’t want to spend any of that time messing around with homework or papers.  Especially since that might make her look like a subpar student; not that that was entirely wrong, but she didn’t want her girlfriend’s family to know that. 

Friday morning her parents dropped her off at the train station and saw her off as she took a short journey across the state to visit Kate and her family.  The Marshes had offered to drive Max back to Blackwell with Kate on Sunday, so, for now, it was just Max and a suitcase on a nearly empty train. 

As the train pulled into its station, though, it was all suddenly a lot less lonely.  There was Kate, smiling at the mere sight of the train which carried Max.  Upon stepping off of the train, she was almost immediately engulfed in an embrace from Kate, smiling and burrowing her face into Max’s neck. 

There was a brief moment before both girls remembered that they had to put on a show these next couple days, where they were one hundred percent heterosexual and were nothing more than _gal pals_.  As this realization dawned upon them, they pulled back from each other.  But nothing could stop their smiles. 

“I’m so glad you could come, Max,” Kate said.  “You met my dad before, Richard.”

“Nice to see you again,” Max greeted the man that stepped over to the girls once they had finished embracing each other. 

“You as well, Max.  Shall we head to the house?”

Max nodded and thanked Richard as he grabbed a hold of her suitcase.  She piled into the backseat of their car as Kate took the passenger seat and they pulled away.

“This area is definitely more rural than anywhere I’ve ever lived,” Max remarked as she stared out the windows.  “Arcadia Bay is the smallest place I’ve lived in.”

“We’ve lived out here since I was little,” Kate explained.  “But it’s not so far from Seattle or Portland or anything, so it’s not completely remote.  It’s cozy.”

Max smiled.  “I can see that.”

A few minutes later they pulled up to a quaint white house, picket fence and all.  It looked like a _home_ , not just a building in which people lived. 

“Here we are,” Richard announced as he parked and led the way inside. 

Max had been holding it together pretty well up until that point.  But when they stepped inside, the nervousness that had been building up in her chest hit its peak and she felt like she was going to explode.  Her throat dried up and words seemed an impossibility.  What if they didn’t like her?  What if they found out about her and Kate?  What if Kate’s sisters didn’t like her?  She knew how close Kate was with her sisters… if they didn’t like Max, it was all over. 

“Don’t look so anxious,” Kate said reassuringly.  “It’s all going to be okay.”

“I feel like I just got hit by a train…”

“Everybody already likes you well enough, don’t worry.  Well, my mom is a little iffy, but that’s how she is with everybody.”

“What if the real me doesn’t match up with what you’ve told them?”

“They’ll never get to find out if you keep standing here in the doorway like a statue, will they?”  She teased.

“Oh…”  Max didn’t even notice that she’d stopped right in the door.  She took a couple steps inside like a normal person. 

As she started to look around, she thought that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.  It was just a normal looking house, with more crosses on the walls than she was used to, sure, but nothing abnormal here.  Figuring out the shower was always terrifying as a guest in someone’s house, but that was a problem for later.  Max didn’t need any more panic at the moment. 

Richard had a small smile on his face, clearly noting how nervous Max was.  He put a hand on her shoulder.  “You’re alright, kid.  Don’t worry.”

“Sorry, Mr. Marsh.”

“Don’t be sorry, it’s alright.  Kate can show you to the guest room so you can get settled in.  Dinner will be in a few hours.”

“Thank you.”

Kate grabbed Max’s suitcase, led her up the stairs, and into a room at the end of the hall. 

“Here you are,” she said.

“Guest room, huh?”  Max asked quietly with a smirk.

Kate rolled her eyes, and that was enough of an answer to explain everything.

“Anyway, enough of that,” Kate continued as Max set her suitcase off to the side.  “Let me show you my room.  It’s comfier than this, anyway.”

The guest room _was_ kind of stuffy and unlived in.  Kate’s room, right next door, was much homier.  The walls were painted lilac and adorable doodles littered almost every open space.  Several pictures of Kate’s family and friends also dotted the walls, along with a few obligatory crosses. 

“Can I ask a question?” 

“Sure.”

“Why do all Christian houses have so many crosses in them?”  Max queried jokingly.  “Are you afraid you’ll forget your religion if you don’t see one every fifteen seconds or something?”

Kate burst out laughing.  “It’s just a sign of our faith.  Though now that you mention it, our house probably is a little excessive, but, you know.”

“I know, I know.  I’m just teasing.”

“We can hang out here for now.  My sisters are still in school this week; their spring break is next week, so they won’t be home for an hour or so.  And, um, if it’s okay, I need to finish my paper…”

“Kate Marsh, not having finished all of her homework already?  Who are you and what have you done with my entirely platonic best friend?”

Both girls laughed again. 

“Shush.  I did everything else.  I just… put this one off a little bit.”

Kate sat at her desk and opened her laptop, as Max returned from the guest room bearing her own computer. 

“I finished everything before I got here.  Like the responsible student that I am.”

“Look at you go.”

Quieter, Max added, “And I sent off my thing to the Art Academy saying I’d go there.”

“That’s so great, Max!  That’s got to be a weight off your shoulders.”

“It is.  I’m guessing you… you haven’t decided yet?”

Kate pressed her lips together tightly, but said nothing.

“It’s okay, I understand.”  Max gave her hand a quick squeeze as she stepped further into the room.  “Mind if I steal your beanbag chair?”

“Not at all.  Now stop being cute and distracting me from my work.”

“Sorry, there’s no stopping this cuteness,” Max teased.  “You’re going to have to deal.”


	30. Coming Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max meets Kate's sisters, Hannah and Lynn, during her stay at the Marsh house over Spring Break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUESS WHO'S BACK!!  
> I got a new computer, and somewhere in the process of transferring over my files, all of my notes and work on this and most of my other fics were lost in the void. I got super disheartened about it all and kind of just abandoned all hope, and moved on to other projects, but THEN  
> Two nights ago... I found a USB that contained all of my miscellaneous fics! And THIS!!!!  
> So I'm sorry that it took me MONTHS to update, but I'm happy to announce that I have my notes, and I have the next two chapters already written! Thanks for putting up with my sporadic update schedule!

Kate finished her paper soon enough once Max stopped pestering her, and they spent the next while watching silly videos on YouTube and other ridiculousness. 

Max didn’t realize how much she wanted to touch Kate until now they couldn’t.  Even if they flirted and joked and made fun while alone in Kate’s room, they didn’t want to do any more than that lest a disapproving family figure should interrupt.  But all Max wanted to do was kiss her. 

Eventually, they heard the front door open close, followed by two yelled greetings toward Richard Marsh.  Loud footsteps made their way up the stairway.

“That would be my sisters,” Kate explained, taking a deep breath.  “Ready to meet them?”

The anxiety that Max had repressed until now started flooding back over her.  “Yeah, of course,” she said as she tried to put on a confident smile and act like she wasn’t mortified. 

Kate made to open the door to lead Max to her sisters’ rooms, but two faces were already waiting for them. 

“Is this Max?”  One asked.

“Yes, Hannah, this is Max,” Kate replied.  “Max, this is Hannah, the middle child, and Lynn is the youngest.” 

Both had a similar shade of blonde hair as Kate and possessed the same sincere eyes and soft smiles.  And they looked happy to see Max, much to her surprise.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Max said, her smile less forced now.  “Kate’s told me a lot about you.”

“Good things, I hope,” Hannah teased. 

“Nothing too terrible.”

“Okay good.” 

Lynn was slowly losing interest in the newcomer, so she toddled off to her own room.  Hannah, however, pushed her way inside and shut the door behind her. 

“Yeah, sure, come on in,” Kate said, a tinge of annoyance in her voice.  It was somewhat endearing that even kind Kate got frustrated by siblings. 

“I just, I want to…”  Hannah mumbled as she took a seat on the bed and faced the other two girls.  She was probably sixteen, and looked almost exactly like Kate besides appearing a bit younger. 

She continued.  “You two are, like, together, right?”

“I’m sorry!?”  Kate protested a little too forcefully.  Max couldn't muster words, but her jaw dropped. 

Hannah shook her head as if to start over.  “What I mean is, from the stories Kate has told us, it sounds like you two are dating.  And I want to say, to both of you, that it doesn’t bother me.  I know we were raised to believe that it would be wrong, Kate, but the world is changing and I don’t see it like that.  You clearly love Max, just the way you talk about her.  So, this is me, saying you don’t have to worry about me.  Lynn is still in the ‘Romance?  Dating?  Cooties!’ stage of life, but from me?  You have my support.”

For a moment, nobody said a word.  Kate let out a heavy exhale, a breath she’d clearly been holding for a long time. 

“Thank you.”

“You’re still my big sis.”  Hannah stood to embrace Kate.  “I just want you to be happy, you know?”  She now turned to face Max.  “Which means that if you break her heart, I will end you.  I don’t know if Kate and you will ever come out to our parents, which, honestly, I wouldn’t until you’re all moved out at least, but until then, our dad can’t beat you up like father figures always threaten.  So I’ll have to do.”

“Don’t worry, I have no plans of hurting Kate.  That’s the last thing I’d ever want to do,” Max insisted. 

“Good enough for me.  I’m pitcher on our school’s softball team though, so remember – I can kick your butt.”  She flexed briefly to demonstrate the strength she possessed and how easily she could snap Max like a twig.

“I’ll remember.”  Max smiled.

“Alright.  Now that that awkwardness is over, I’ll leave you two alone.  Just don’t make too much noise, or somebody might come investigate,” she teased.  “This house is stick built.  You start rocking the bed and you might shake the house right over.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Kate said forcefully as she started to shoo her sister out of the room and shut the door behind her. 

Kate slumped back against the door and said nothing.

“You alright?”  Max questioned quietly and stepped up to her.  She carefully took her hand in her own. 

She slowly nodded, a small smile on her face as she looked up at Max.  “That went… far better than expected.  I was afraid she knew about you and me, from times I got a little too excited talking about you.  Like she said, Lynn doesn’t really know anything yet, but Hannah’s old enough.  She was probably going to be the first person in my family I’d have come out to, but I guess I don’t have to do that now,” she chuckled. 

“At least we have someone on our side, right?”

“We do.  It’s nice to know that I’m not alone here.  Maybe I can’t say anything to anybody else in my family, at least not yet, but I have her.”

“Family looks out for each other, that’s how it should be.”

“And besides,” Kate continued as she stood and walked back into the room, “that’s one less person here that we have to hide from.  And it’s someone that can beat you up if you do anything bad,” she joked.

“Hey!  I’m a perfect angel, don’t you forget it.  But yeah, she looked buff.  Her arms were like, pure muscle.  She could kick my bony white ass easily,” Max laughed. 

“Thankfully, I don’t think I’ll be needing her to fight you.”

“That’s what I’m saying.  Perfect angel, right here.”

Kate giggled.  “Sure, whatever you say, love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to hit me up on tumblr at nonbinarylynx17.tumblr.com as well!
> 
> And in other news! If you've played Before the Storm, the Life is Strange prequel, you might be interested to hear that I wrote an Amberprice fic during National Novel Writing Month this year! But I swore I wouldn't upload that until I finished Saving Grace, so look out for double the LiS fics coming from me!


	31. I'm Not Religious But...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max meets Kate's mother, Bethany, for the first time, and she joins the Marsh family in a calm, happy, friendly dinner that definitely isn't concealing any deep seated aggression or scorn.

It wasn’t long after their conversation with Hannah that the front door opened yet again.  This time, Kate almost seemed to withdraw entirely into herself.

“Is that…?”

“My mom, yes,” she added.  “She, uh… well, you know she still blames me for everything that happened at the Vortex Club party, and-”

“But there’s proof you were drugged!”  Max exclaimed quietly. 

“I wouldn’t have been drugged if I hadn’t gone to such a ‘degenerate’ party in the first place, she claims.”  Kate sighed.  “And then up in Portland, everybody heard about the shooting of a Blackwell student at an 21+ club.  Even if I had been twenty-one, I think she still would’ve been upset that I would go to such a place.”

“She’s definitely the conservative-est Christian in the house?”

“I mean, my dad can be strict too, but… definitely not as strict as Mom.”

Before either girl could say anything more, a cry sounded from downstairs. 

“Kate?  Is your friend here yet?”

“Yes, Mom,” Kate replied, the anxiety and exhaustion exceedingly visible on her face.

“Bring her down!  I’d like to meet her!”

That sentence sounded far more ominous than either Kate or Max would like it to, and nervousness that faded when talking with Hannah suddenly returned ten-fold.

Kate reached out and took Max’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, despite the fact that both of them were shaking.

“Ready?”  She asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

As they pulled their hands apart, Max had never felt more vulnerable.

Kate led the way down the stairs to the kitchen, where Richard and Kate’s mother, Bethany, stood chatting, waiting for their daughter and her new best friend.

“Ah, you must be Max,” Bethany said with a smile. 

“Yes, it’s nice to meet you.”  As they shook hands, Max hoped Bethany couldn’t feel her tremble.

Bethany was an intimidating form, tall and lean, with professional heels that only accentuated her height and a cross necklace around her neck that shimmered ominously. 

Okay, Max knew she was being dramatic.  In another situation, Bethany would probably look like any other person, the sort of woman you’d expect to be in charge of a bake sale.  But under the current circumstances, her mere appearance was enough to send cold fear through Max’s veins.

“Nice to meet you as well,” Bethany responded.  “Kate has said that you’re interested in photography, is that right?”

Max nodded.  “Yes, ma’am.”

“I would love to see some of your work.”

“Oh, um, of course…”  Max was taken aback by the apparent niceness of the conversation, having expected immediate fire and brimstone.

“What do you plan on doing with your degree?  Assuming you plan on going to college, of course.”

Ah, there it was.  The condescending parental question that they didn’t realize was so infantilizing and horrifying.  They were Millennials – they just hoped to get paid enough to afford rent and food.  And with an art degree?  Yeah, probably not going to happen.  Even Max had figured that much out. 

“Well, I guess I’d like to be featured in galleries,” Max explained, hoping she didn’t stutter too much.  “You know, artistic photography.  I like vintage cameras, with film and everything.”

“Max likes to use an instant camera, like a Polaroid,” Kate added.

Richard laughed.  “That ‘vintage’ stuff is about all I can handle.  Technology is way ahead of me.”

Kate rolled her eyes and smirked.  “Yes, Dad, we are all aware of that.”

Max giggled in response, especially as Richard gave a joking pouty face back at his daughter.  Bethany, however, watched the exchange with a narrowed gaze. 

Before any more could be said, a ding sounded from further within the kitchen.

“Ah!  That’ll be dinner,” Richard exclaimed.  “I hope you like meatloaf, Max, because that’s about all I can make.”

“Meatloaf sounds great,” Max said, before laughing as Kate gave her a disgusted expression to indicate that she shouldn’t get her hopes up. 

“Katherine,” Bethany snapped.

“Sorry, Mom.”

“You shouldn’t speak to your father like that.  Or make such faces.”

“Yes, Mother, I’m sorry.”

She sighed and shook her head.  “Go help set the table, will you?”

“Yes, Mom.  We’ll get right on it.”

Kate obediently headed into the kitchen to grab the required place settings, and Max trotted after her, while Bethany climbed the stairs, presumably to change out of her work clothes. 

“You okay?”  Max asked as she dutifully dealt the silverware around the plates Kate organized upon the table. 

Kate gave a heavy sigh, and that told Max all she needed to know. 

“You’ll be out of here soon enough,” Max said reassuringly.  “Just a couple more days.”

“Thank you.  And it’s better to have you here too.  At least I know somebody’s got my back.”

“No matter what.”

Kate turned and gave Max a sweet smile, the most intimate form of thanks the situation allowed, before turning back to the table and finishing the task at hand.

Soon enough, Richard called to the other two Marsh children that dinner was ready, and their thunderous footsteps sounded down the stairs as they found their places at the table.  Bethany followed soon after and joined the rest of the clan at the head of the table.

They all automatically grasped hands to say grace, and Max caught on quick enough that she didn’t look completely out of the loop, like the godless heathen she was.  Even she knew enough to understand the prayer at the start of a meal.  Sandwiched between Kate and Lynn, Max tried to make some reassuring eye contact with Kate, but her eyes were closed tight, ready for the blessing. 

Even if Max thought it was kind of weird to say words as if that would make the food safe to eat when it really depended more on how you cooked it and washed it and all, she couldn’t help but admire the peace on Kate’s face.  She was beautiful as ever.

_No gay thoughts allowed in this house_ , Max told herself.  _They’ll know.  They just will.  Don’t know how.  Ding ding ding!  There’s a gay at the dinner table!_

Shaking the thoughts from her head, Max looked down and closed her eyes, mimicking those around her, and listened as Richard said grace.  She totally missed the ending where everyone else said ‘amen,’ but she stammered it out soon enough afterwards.  Hopefully no one noticed she forgot that part originally.

Bethany and Richard asked the younger kids about their school days: Hannah talked mostly about softball practice and Lynn was much more excited, going into detail about each and every one of her classes.  Ah, to still like school so much.  Those were the days.

When the conversation turned to Kate, she eagerly announced that she had finished her paper, which concluded all of the homework required during her spring break.  Bethany nodded approvingly. 

Then she turned to Max.

“How about you, Max?  Get all your school work done?”

“Yes, Mrs. Marsh,” she replied.  “I finished it all before I got here.”

Richard casually slid into the conversation to lighten the mood: “Did you do anything fun for spring break before you got here?”

Max shrugged.  “Not really.  Just went home to my parents and hung around the house.”

“Excited to head back to Blackwell?”

She cast a glance to Kate.  She was excited in the sense that, there, they didn’t have to hide their relationship or feelings.  But the actual school part?

In the end, she offered a vague and noncommittal groaning noise, and Richard laughed.

“Have you decided where you will be attending college?”  Bethany questioned professionally.  “Time is growing short, and I’m sure you know even Kate hasn’t made up her mind yet…”

Ignoring the dig at Kate, Max said, “Yes.  I’m going to the Art Institute, in San Francisco.  For my photography.”

“That’s quite exciting,” Bethany replied flatly, but Richard nodded approvingly, impressed.  “Maybe you can convince our Katherine to make a decision.”

“I’m sure she’ll figure it out when she’s ready,” Max said, and Kate returned with a thankful glance.

“Yes, well, as the deadlines approach, we best hope so.”  She arched her fingers in front of her face, appearing more like a super villain than ever before.  “I do hope she will make a good decision this time around.”

Max opened her mouth to reply, to defend Kate and all of her decisions, but Kate reached out and squeezed Max’s leg tightly under the table to keep her from such an outburst.  She turned toward Kate, wondering why she would stop her, but she simply shook her head.  It wasn’t worth it.

She was unhappy about it, but willingly obliged, sitting back in her chair and playing with the remnants of her meatloaf. 

It _was_ worth it.  Bethany was blind to not see how incredible Kate was, but she was too focused on a single past mistake and used that to color every deed since then.  Max could only hope – pray, maybe? – that someday Bethany could understand what really happened and learn to prioritize her daughter’s own happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! You can hit me up on tumblr at nonbinarylynx17 as well!! Thanks!!
> 
> Also, I'm in the process of moving AGAIN so I'm not going to have wifi for at least a week, probably 2 weeks. But hopefully that'll give me plenty of time to get more chapters written! But if I haven't posted in like 3 weeks, please get in the comments and yell at me because I should have internet by then so there's no excuse for me not updating. 
> 
> Thanks! <3


	32. Back into the Vortex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Bethany, Kate's mother, have a completely friendly and non-antagonistic discussion. Nobody gets upset, nobody yells, and Max definitely doesn't have some flashbacks to when she messed around with time and Kate jumped off the roof of the dorm.

After dinner, things settled down, and Max and Kate retreated back into the latter’s room to hide and recover from the interrogation and insulting comments.  Maybe the next day would be better?  They could only hope.

Breakfast in the Marsh household on Saturday was more haphazard than the organized meal the evening before, where people would just grab a Danish or cereal when they awoke.  That was more Max’s speed.

She and Kate spent the day lazing around in her room and eventually going on a walk around the area, which was mostly just green, with a few similar farmhouses dotting the landscape.  The rural ambiance still surprised Max, which amused Kate to no end.

When they returned from their afternoon jaunt, Kate headed to the kitchen to bring them some water, while Max waited casually in the entryway, unaware of Bethany lounging on a couch in the nearby family room.

“Max, do you mind if we have a chat?”  She called, and Max nearly jumped out of her skin.

“Um, sure.”  This was going to be a disaster, she knew it already.

As soon as Max stepped inside the room, Bethany stood, towering over her, and addressed her.  “I want to talk about your relationship with my daughter.”

Oh no.  Oh no, oh no, oh no.  She knew.  Poor Kate. 

“I’m sorry?”  Was the only reasonable response she could muster.

“I respect that Kate has made her own friendships off at Blackwell, but I question them.  What kind of friends must she have that would drag her to a party with alcohol?  To a twenty-one plus club with even more sinfulness?  In what other ways has my daughter been corrupted?”

Okay, maybe she didn’t know the full extent of their ‘relationship,’ but this was still so not okay.

“She hasn’t been corrupted,” Max insisted.  “She’s living for her own self.  Why shouldn’t she go experience the same things every other teenager does?  To figure it out for herself?”

“Because I raised her better than this.  Yet Blackwell has turned my daughter into someone I do not know, someone who whores herself around and drinks alcohol and does God only knows what else.  And I can’t help but feel that you, as Kate’s apparent best friend, are primarily responsible.”

“Mrs. Marsh, if you want to blame me, go right ahead.  I know I don’t fit the bill as the Christian type.  I haven’t been to a church mass in about nine years, I drink alcohol, I’ve smoked pot.  But don’t blame Kate for any of this.  And you should know that she wasn’t ‘whoring herself around’ at the Vortex Club party.  She was _drugged_.  And she’s gone through enough hell about it without getting more shit from her own mother.”

Bethany’s face was in absolute shock as Max swore, but she wouldn’t apologize.  She stood by her statement.  Kate had put up with enough of this nonsense.

“How _dare_ you.”

“Mother.”

Both Max and Bethany wheeled around to face Kate, who stood in the entrance to the family room, two glasses of water practically cracking as her fists tightened around them. 

“Ah, Katherine, we were just talking about-”

“I heard what you were talking about.  And, with all due respect, you don’t get to talk to Max like that.”

“I’m just concerned at the effect she’s having on you, sweetie.  You never used to do these things.”

“I never had the _chance_ to do these things.  You have no idea what I’ve been through.”

“You’ve never talked to me about it.”

“Because you never listened!  I _tried_ to talk to you.”  Kate was pacing now, their drinks set safely on a coffee table so she could gesticulate with her hands.  “You told me I was a sinner, that I deserved my pain.  Max cared for me more than you ever did when I was hurting the most.  So don’t you _dare_ come after her like this.  She is the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I will not have you come in here and try to ruin her the way you tried to ruin me.”

The silence that ensued as mother and daughter glared each other down was suffocating, and Max was caught in the middle.  She could barely breathe.  She’d never heard Kate go off like that before, but it was obviously a long time coming. 

Finally, Kate broke the silence. 

“Come on, Max.”  She reached for Max’s hand and led her up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door behind her. 

Kate flung herself onto her bed.  Max sat beside her, placing a hand on her back and moving it in gentle circles to comfort her.

When Kate sat back up, Max fully expected to see tears lining her face, but none were there.  Her cheeks were still red, and her mouth was set firmly. 

She wasn’t sad or distraught; she was furious.

Max didn’t even know what to say.  She just put her hand on top of Kate’s, the only reassurance she could offer.

“I can’t believe she did that,” Kate snapped, shaking her head as if with disbelief.  “How dare she come after you for all this!  It was bad enough she blamed me for what Nathan did, but to blame _you_!?  What nonsense!

“She never listened to the way I hurt.  She probably would’ve said I was where I belonged if I had… if that future you saw… where I…”  She gulped.  “I was already hell-bound; killing myself would just expedite the process.”

“You don’t think that, do you?”  Max inched closer, squeezing Kate’s hand tighter.  After everything, she couldn’t lose Kate too, not again. 

Visions of the roof flashed back through her mind and her head stung with a white-hot pain. 

“No, I don’t.  Not anymore,” Kate said, and Max’s grip released slightly.  “I know better now.  I know that my life is worth living.  And you’re the main reason for that.  My mother doesn’t figure into a single reason as to why I’m still here.  She can’t… Oh no, Max, you’re bleeding!”

“What?”  Max held her hand up to her nose, where blood was flowing from her nostrils. 

Kate was already up with Kleenexes to stop the gushing, pressing them to Max’s face to help clean up. 

Max could barely help her, frozen in place.  Occasionally a jarring image of Kate, crashed into the pavement, would slam back in front of her eyes, and she could almost feel and hear the rain around her. 

Then, just as quickly as the memory surrounded her, it was gone again.

“Max, Max, are you alright?  Can you hear me?”

“I haven’t… I haven’t had a nosebleed like this since I messed around with time,” Max explained quietly.

Kate looked at her intently.  As supportive as she was, there was no way she could fully comprehend the way Max had played with time like her own personal sandbox. 

“I remembered when you… when you jumped from the roof.  But it wasn’t just a memory this time, it was like… it was like I was there.  Again.”

Ignoring the blood still trickling down Max’s face, Kate reached up and pulled Max into a tight embrace. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered.  “You saved me.  All of that’s never going to happen.  Be it magic or a memory or PTSD, it’s not real now.  Okay?”

“I know that,” Max admitted, clinging to Kate’s sweater like it was the only thing holding her to this reality.  “It just… it scares me.  I can’t mess with time again, it already hurt too many people.  I already lost Chloe, I can’t lose you too.”

Throwing caution to the wind, Kate kissed Max firmly.  “You won’t.  No matter what my mother might say, you are _my_ saving grace too.  With or without your time travel magic.”

Max pulled Kate in for another hug, not wanting to let go.  She couldn’t relive that moment again.  That moment that lasted forever as Kate left this world behind. 

As terrifying as the possibility of losing Kate was, the thing that scared Max more was the fact that, if the need arose, she would rearrange a thousand timelines to keep her safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed!!! You can find me at moirasberet.tumblr.com as well! <3


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